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Section 


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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


https://archive.org/details/messianicprophecOOstib 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


A  Presentation  of  the  Progressively  Revealed 
Thoughts  of  God  on  His  Kingdom  and  His 
Messiah,  Being  Notes  on  the  Messianic 
Passages  of  the  Old  Testament  in 
Their  Chronological  Order. 


GEORCE  ST1BITZ,  Ph.D.,D.  D. 

Professor  of  Old  Testament  Languages,  Literature 
and  Theology,  the  Central  Theological  Seminary 
of  the  Reformed  Church  in  the  United  States, 

Dayton,  Ohio 


19  2  3 


CENTRAL  PUBLISHING  HOUSE 
CLEVELAND.  OHIO 


Copyrighted 

1923 


FOREWORD. 


The  following  note  on  the  Messianic  passages  in  the  Old  Testa¬ 
ment  are  the  outgrowth  of  class-room  work.  One,  if  not  the  chief, 
reason  for  publishing  them  is  to  put  before  the  students,  past  as 
well  as  future,  and  others  interested,  the  material  there  presented 
in  such  a  form  as  will  be  convenient  for  use.  There  are  other  and 
more  learned  books  on  this  same  subject  whose  place  these  notes 
are  not  intended  to  take.  Much  of  the  material  herein  has  been 
suggested  by  them  or  used  with  credit  where  it  seemed  just.  Where 
only  a  suggestion  was  taken  and  expression  given  in  other  words, 
the  author  was  not  made  responsible  by  quotation  marks. 

There  are  so  many  books  written  from  the  critical  view  point 
which  dispose  of  the  passages  of  the  Bible  in  various  ways,  and 

which  discuss  learnedly  the  questions  arising,  that  it  seemed  un¬ 
necessary,  if  it  had  been  possible,  to  add  another  of  the  same  kind. 

Here  the  material  is  presented  in  the  manner  of  those  who  believe 

that  the  Bible  has  a  message  just  as  it  speaks  to  the  thoughtful 
reader.  To  these  the  results  of  modern  criticism  are  by  no  means 

established  beyond  reasonable  doubt.  There  are  still  many  by  no 
means  unlearned  persons  who  use  the  Bible  for  daily  life  and  teach¬ 
ing  who  want  to  know  what  it  says  to  a  sound  mind. 

These  notes,  then,  do  not  pretend  to  give  any  thing  that  has 
never  been  thought  of  before.  They  arrange  the  material  of  Mes¬ 
sianic  prophecy  in  chronological  order  as  far  as  this  is  possible 
or  advantageous  to  the  understanding  of  them.  It  is  taken  for  a 
truth  that  the  Old  Testament  and  the  New  Testament  are  both  by 
the  same  Spirit  and  are  therefore  harmonious.  Hence  the  darker 
Old  Testament  places  must  be  so  interpreted  as  not  to  lead  to  con¬ 
tradictions  with  the  same  ideas  in  the  New.  This  is  not  saying 
that  the  authors  or  readers  of  the  Old  Testament  had  as  full  a 
view  as  we  may  have,  and  yet  we  must  beware  of  lowering  their 
knowledge  of  the  Scripture  in  their  way. 

ill 


IV 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


What  is  said  in  these  notes  is  not  regarded  as  final.  They  are 
presented  here  as  in  the  class-room  as  truths,  or  believed  to  be 
truths.  As  such  they  are  supposed  to  appeal  to  the  hearer’s  or 
reader’s  sense  of  truth  and  aim  to  produce  conviction  by  their  own 
truthfulness.  If  a  statement  made  cannot  grip  the  inner  sense  of 
truth  it  must  remain  sub  judice,  if  shown  untenable,  be  rejected 
however  dear  to  its  author  or  advocate.  If  any  reader  does  not 
agree  with  the  fundamental  standpoint  or  with  any  of  the  state¬ 
ments  let  him  in  charity  take  what  seems  to  him  the  better,  only, 
“Let  each  man  be  fully  assured  in  his  own  mind”  (Rom.  14:5). 

To  save  space  the  text  of  scripture  has  not  been  printed.  Hence 
these  notes  cannot  be  used  without  having  the  Bible  in  hand.  He¬ 
brew  and  Greek  words  are  trans-literated  in  such  a  way  as  to  give 

the  ordinary  reader  an  idea  of  their  sound,  and  enable  those  who 
know  these  languages  to  recognize  the  original. 

The  importance  of  the  subject  of  Messianic  Prophecy  need  not 
be  proved  to  the  thoughtful  Christian.  It  is  hoped  these  few  notes 
will  help  to  advance  the  study  of  it. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  ONE. 


PAGE 

hitroduction  . 1 

§  1.  The  Study  of  Messianic  Prophecy.  §  2.  The  Prophet¬ 
ic  Phenomenon.  §  3.  The  Institution  of  Hebrew  Proph¬ 
ecy.  §  4.  The  Prophetic  State  of  Mind.  §  5.  Prophetic 
Functions.  §  6.  Kinds  of  Prophets.  §  7.  False  Prophets. 

§  8.  Periods  of  Prophetic  Activity.  §  9.  The  Kingdom  of 
God  is  the  Subject  of  Prophecy.  §  10.  Analogies  of  the 
Prophetic  Kingdom  in  Heathenism.  §  11.  The  Influence 
of  the  Age  on  the  Prophet.  §  12.  Typology.  §  13.  Fulfil¬ 
ment  of  Prophecy.  §  14.  The  Jews  and  Messianic  Prophe¬ 
cy.  §  15.  The  History  of  Messianic  Prophecy. 


CHAPTER  TWO. 


The  Pre-Mosaic  Age . 36 

§16.  Gen.  1:26-30,  Creation  and  Destiny  of  Man.  §17. 

Gen.  3:14-16,  The  Protevangelium.  §18.  Gen.  5:29,  The 
Expected  Comforter.  §19.  Gen.  8:20-22,  The  Stability  of 
the  Earth  Promised.  §20.  Gen.  9:24-27,  The  Blessing  of 
Shem.  §  21.  The  Blessings  of  the  Patriarchs.  1.  Abra¬ 
ham,  Gen.  12:1-3;  13:14-16;  15:4-16;  17:1-14;  22:15-18. 

2.  Isaac,  26:4,  5,  24.  3.  Jacob,  27:27-29;  28:13-16;  32:27, 

28;  35:9.  §22.  Gen.  49:8-12,  The  Blessing  of  Judah. 

CHAPTER  THREE. 

The  Mosaic  Age  . 49 

§23.  The  Historic  Setting.  §24.  Ex.  4:22,  23;  Deut.  32: 

6-10,  Israel,  God’s  First  born.  §  25.  Ex.  19:3-6,  The  King¬ 
dom  of  Priests.  §26.  Ex.  20:19;  Deut.  18:15-19,  The 
Prophet  Like  Moses.  §27.  Num.  23:7-10,  20-24;  24:5-8, 
17-24,  The  Conquering  Star.  §28.  Num.  25:12,  13, The 
Everlasting  Priesthood.  §  29.  Deut.  32,  The  Progress  and 
Goal  of  Redemption. 

CHAPTER  FOUR. 

The  David- Solomon  Period . 61 

§30.  Judges  5,  The  Song  of  Deborah.  §31.  1  Sam.  2:1- 
10,  Jehovah  and  His  Anointed.  §32.  1  Sam.  2:27-36,  The 
Faithful  Priest.  §33.  1  Sam.  16:1-13,  The  Anointing  of 
David.  §34.  2  Sam.  7:11-16,  The  Covenant  with  David. 

§  35.  Psalm  Types.  §  36.  Psalm  8,  The  Ideal  Man.  §  37. 


VI 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


PAGE 

Psalm  16:9-11,  The  Ideal  Man  Triumphant  in  Death.  §  38. 
Psalm  110,  The  Conquering  King.  §  39.  Psalm  2,  The  En¬ 
throned  Son  of  God,  Messiah.  §  40.  Psalm  24,  Zion,  the 
Abode  of  Jehovah-King.  §41.  Psalm  18:43-50  (2  Sam.  22: 
44-51),  Jehovah’s  Advent  as  Deliverer.  §42.  2  Sam.  23:1- 
7,  David’s  Swan  Song.  §  43.  Psalm  72,  The  Righteous 
King.  §  44.  Song  of  Songs,  Christ  in  the  Song  of  Songs. 

§45.  Job  17:3;  33:23-28,  God’s  Surety  with  Himself.  §46. 
Prov.  8:22-31,  Metaphysical  Conception  of  Wisdom.  §47. 
Psalm  45,  The  Bridal  Poem  of  Messiah. 


CHAPTER  FIVE. 


The  Early  Prophets  . 77 

§  48.  Introduction.  §  49.  Obadiah  19-21,  The  Destruction 
of  Edom.  §  50.  Joel  2:28-32;  3:9-21,  The  Day  of  Jehovah. 

§51.  Amos  9:9-15,  Rebuilding  the  House  of  David.  §52. 
Jonah,  Jonah  as  a  Type  of  Christ.  §  53.  Hosea  1-3,  Israel, 

The  Faithless  Wife.  §  54.  Hos.  6:1-4,  Restoration  Through 
Repentance.  §55.  Hos.  11:8-11,  The  Father’s  Redeeming 
Love.  §  56.  Hos.  13  and  14,  Deliverance  from  Sheol.  §  57. 

Hos.  14,  Prosperity  after  Restoration. 

CHAPTER  SIX. 

Isaiah’s  Earlier  Prophecies  . 88 

A.  The  Emanuel  Book.  Isa.  1-12.  §58.  Isa.  2:2 — 4:6, 

Exaltation  after  Humiliation  (Mic.  4:1-5).  §59.  Isa.  7: 

13-17,  The  Immanuel  Child.  §60.  Isa.  9:1-7,  New  Times 
Through  the  Prince  of  Peace.  §  61.  Isa.  11:1-16,  The  Rod 
from  the  Stump  of  Jesse.  §  62.  Isa.  12,  The  Song  of  De- 
liverance 

B.  The  Book  of  the  Nations,  Isa.  13-27.  §63.  Isa.  13:1 — 

14:23.  The  Fall  of  Babylon:  Type  of  the  End.  §  64.  Isa. 
19:16-25,  Union  of  Egypt  and  Assyria  with  Israel.  §65. 

Isa.  24-27,  The  End  of  the  World. 

C.  The  Book  of  Zion.  Isa.  28-35.  §  66.  Isa.  28:14-18,  The 
Sure  Cornerstone  in  Zion.  §  67.  Isa.  30-33 ;  Ps.  46  and  48. 

The  city  of  the  Great  King.  §  68.  Micah  4  and  5,  The 
Ruler  from  Bethlehem.  §  69.  Isa.  34  and  35,  Edom  and 
Zion  in  Contrast. 


CHAPTER  SEVEN. 

Jeremiah  and  His  Com  temjmra/rie s  . 105 

§  70.  Zeph.  1-3,  The  Great  Judgment  of  Jehovah.  §  71. 
Psalm  87,  The  Adoption  of  the  Nations.  §  72,  Psalm  80, 

The  Restoration  of  the  Vine.  §  73.  The  Advent  of  Jehovah 
in  Glory.  §74.  Jer.  3:14-18,  Jerusalem  the  Throne  of 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


Vll 


PAGE 

Jehovah.  §  75.  Jer.  23:1-8;  33:14-22,  The  Righteous 

Branch.  §  76.  Jer.  30  and  31,  Restoration  and  the  New 
Covenant.  §  77.  Psalm  89,  The  Sure  Mercies  of  David. 

§  78.  Psalm  132,  Zion’s  Glory  under  the  Davidic  Sprout. 

CHAPTER  EIGHT. 

Prophecies  of  Ezekiel  and  Daniel . 115 

A.  Before  the  Siege  of  Jerusalem.  Ezek.  1-24.  §  79.  Ezek. 
11:16-20,  Jehovah,  the  Sanctuary.  §80.  Ezek.  17:22-24, 

The  Wonderful  Cedar-sprig.  §81.  Ezek.  21:24-27,  The 
Rightful  King. 

B.  §  82.  Prophecies  Against  the  Nations.  Ezek.  25-32. 

C.  After  the  Fall  of  The  City.  Ezek.  33-39.  §  83.  Ezek. 
34:11-31,  The  Faithful  Shepherd.  §84.  Ezek.  36:20-35, 

The  Great  Purification.  §85.  Ezek.  37:7-14,  The  Great 
Resurrection.  §86.  Ezek.  37:21,  The  Great  Reunion.  §87. 
Ezek.  38  and  39.  Judgment  on  Gog  and  Magog. 

D.  §  88.  Ezek.  40-48,  Purged  Israel’s  New  Home. 

E.  The  Book  of  Daniel.  §  89.  Dan.  2  and  7,  The  Kingdom 
of  the  Son  of  Man.  §  90.  Dan.  9:24-27;  12:1-3,  10-13,  The 
Last  Times. 


CHAPTER  NINE. 

The  Sufferer  and.  Servant . 127 

A.  The  Great  Sufferer  in  the  Psalms.  §  91.  Psalm  22.  For¬ 
saken  yet  Exalted  by  God.  §  92.  Psalms  69  and  40,  Suf¬ 
fering  for  Righteousness’  Sake. 

B.  The  Servant  of  Jehovah  in  Isa.  40-66.  §  93.  The  Ser¬ 

vant  Idea.  §94.  Isa.  41:8-20;  42:1-13,  The  Servant  in 
Whom  Jehovah  is  Well  Pleased.  §95.  Isa.  43:1-7,  14-21. 
Jehovah  Delivers  His  Servant.  §96.  Isa.  44:1-5,  21-23, 

The  Promised  Spirit.  §97.  Isa.  49:1-13,  The  High  Call¬ 
ing  of  the  Servant.  §98.  Isa.  52:13 — 53:12,  The  Sin 
Bearing  Servant.  §99.  Isa.  55:1-13,  The  Great  Invita¬ 
tion.  §  100.  Reward  of  Righteousness.  §  101.  Isa.  61. 

The  Great  Preacher  of  Redemption. 


CHAPTER  TEN. 


Th-e  Restoration  of  Zion . 137 

§102.  Isa.  40:1-11;  42:14-17,  Jehovah’s  Highway  to  Zion. 
§103.  Isa.  45:21-25;  48:17-21,  Jehovah  Alone  God  and 
Savior.  §104.  Isa.  49:14-23;  51:1-8;  52:7-12.  Jehovah, 
Faithful  to  Zion.  §  105.  Isa.  54:1-17,  The  Ideal  Kingdom. 
§106.  Isa.  56:5-7;  57:11-21,  The  Universal  House  of 
Prayer.  §  107.  Isa.  60,  Zion,  the  Light  of  the  World. 

§  108.  Isa.  62,  The  Extension  of  Zion’s  Glory.  §  109.  Isa. 

65:1  to  66:1.  The  New  Jerusalem  and  the  New  Church. 


Vlll 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


CHAPTER  ELEVEN. 

PAGE 

The  Restoration  of  the  Jewish  State . 143 

§110.  Haggai  2:6-9,  21-23.  The  Glory  of  the  New  Tem¬ 
ple.  §111.  Zech.  2:4-13;  8:1-23.  The  Glory  of  the  New 
Jerusalem.  §112.  Zech.  3:8  to  4:14;  6:9-15.  Crowning 
the  Priest.  §  113.  Zech.  9:9,  10,  The  King  of  Peace.  §  114. 
Zech.  10:3-12,  Restoration  through  a  Sea  of  Trouble.  §  115. 
Zech.  11:7-14,  The  Rejected  Shepherd.  §116.  Zech.  12  to 
14.  Israel’s  Final.  Victory  and  Blessedness.  §117.  Psalms 
93  and  100.  Jehovah  the  Holy  King.  §  118.  Malachi. 
Elijah  Redivivus.  §  119.  Concluding  Remarks. 

CHAPTER  TWELVE. 

A  Tojrical  Summary  . 155 

§  120.  The  Ideal  of  Mankind.  §  121.  The  Conflict  with  Evil. 

§  122.  The  Divine  Advent.  §  123.  The  Holy  Land.  §  124. 
Jehovah:  Father,  Husband,  Shepherd.  §125.  The  King¬ 
dom  of  God.  A.  The  Kingly  Side,  B.  The  Priestly  Side. 

§  126.  The  Day  of  Jehovah.  §  127.  The  Holy  Priesthood. 

§  128.  The  Faithful  Prophet.  §  129.  The  Messianic  King. 

§  130.  The  New  Covenant.  §  131.  False  Prophets.  §  132. 
Free  Grace  in  the  Old  Testament.  §  133.  Regeneration  by 


the  Spirit. 

Index  to  Scripture  Passages . 161 

Index  of  Subjects  . 175 


CHAPTER  ONE. 

INTRODUCTION. 


§  1.  The  Study  of  Messianic  Prophecy. 

In  taking  up  this  study  we  note  the  scope,  the  source  and  the 
method  of  the  study. 

1.  Messianic  Prophecy  is  not  merely  prediction  of  the  coming 
of  an  Individual  but  is  much  more.  It  is  the  development,  or 
growth  of  a  divine  planting  (Zemach).  It  is  the  study  of  the 
coming  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  earth.  Of  this  kingdom  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  focal  center,  and  source  as  well  as  the  Head.  All 
things  came  to  be  through  Him  and  without  Him  did  nothing  come 
to  be  that  came  to  be  (John  1:3).  In  principle,  Christ  embraces 
all  things  in  His  own  larger  self,  as  the  vine  does  the  branches 
(John  15:1).  It  is  Immanuel,  God  with  us,  the  core  on  which  all 
history  is  wrapped,  and  hence  the  study  of  it  is  important  as  it  is 
at  the  root  of  all  Bible  study. 

2.  The  Source  of  Messianic  Prophecy  is  the  Old  Testament,  for 
this  is  inspired  and  authentic  information.  The  New  Testament 
lies  beyond  Messianic  prophecy,  for  it  is  fulfilment  of  prophecy,  but 
it  serves  as  a  test  of  the  correctness  of  the  interpretation  of  the 
Old,  or  of  the  conclusions  drawn  from  it.  The  Old  Testament 
scriptures  are  creditable  not  because  of  some  one’s  say  so  but  be¬ 
cause  they  approve  themselves  to  the  unbiased  human  soul.  The 
rule  is  taste  and  see  (Ps.  34:8).  Try  and  note  the  results.  “For 
the  tree  is  known  by  its  fruits”  (Matt.  12:33).  The  Bible  satis¬ 
fies  man’s  spiritual  longings  and  blesses  him  in  all  things,  individ¬ 
ually  and  collectively.  It  makes  wise  unto  salvation,  leads  to  god¬ 
liness,  and  this  is  profitable  for  all  things,  having  the  promise  of 
the  life  which  now  is  and  of  that  which  is  to  come  (2  Tim.  3:15; 
1  Tim.  4:8).  We  test  the  Bible  statements  by  our  own  truly  relig¬ 
ious,  or  spiritual,  sense  and  experience.  We  may  not  have  grown 
up  to  the  highest  experiences  and  truths  in  our  growth  in  grace 
and  knowledge,  but  so  far  as  we  have  gone,  we  find  the  Bible  true, 
and  as  for  the  rest,  we  look  forward  to  higher  reaches  of  spiritual 

attainment,  when  we  shall  find  them  also  true,  as  does  the  pupil  in 

1 


2 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


mathematics  and  he  does  not  despise  higher  mathematics  because 
he  cannot  yet  see  any  sense  in  it. 

3.  As  to  Method,  we  will,  in  the  body  of  the  work,  study  the 
text  itself,  and  not  be  content  with  reading  merely  what  is  said 
about  it.  We  shall  try  to  avoid  bringing  in  our  own  opinions,  or 
theological  theories,  or  even  purely  New  Testament  truths,  into  the 
Old  Testament  text.  Still  the  undeveloped  Old  Testament  truths 
must  harmonize  with  the  developed  revelation  of  the  New  Testa¬ 
ment. 

§  2.  The  Prophetic  Phenomenon. 

1.  Its  Universality.  There  is  in  all  life,  in  all  nature  a  prog¬ 
ress  toward  completion.  In  the  plant,  the  seeding  is  the  end  of  the 
cycle,  and  all  parts  and  growth  of  the  rest  of  the  plant  foreshadow 
the  seeding.  The  leaf  appears  in  the  pod,  which  is  but  a  modifica¬ 
tion  of  it.  The  individual  animal  is  incomplete  until  it  finds  its 
completion  as  a  part  of  the  group  or  species.  Man  also  strives  to¬ 
ward  a  larger  self,  toward  an  ideal  realized  in  himself  and  in  the 
incorporation,  into  the  tribe  and  race.  In  the  lower  stages  he  pre¬ 
dicts  the  higher.  In  the  case  of  man,  the  striving  after  perfection 
of  himself  in  fellowship  with  his  fellowmen  and  with  God,  is  more 
or  less  conscious.  This  is  a  mighty  factor  in  human  history.  Man 
longs  for  a  far  off  happy  state  in  which  he  himself  is  what  he 
ought  to  be,  and  the  group,  the  race,  is  what  it  ought  to  be  in  its 
interrelations.  So  Greece  and  Israel  (See  Oreli  page  1).  By  the 
way  of  the  arts  and  thought-ideals,  this  harmony  and  perfection 
cannot  be  attained.  It  must  come  from  the  deeper  sources  of  man, 
from  his  fountain  of  life.  Jesus,  the  God-man,  in  whom  the  crea¬ 
ture  merges  into  the  Creator,  is  alone  the  source  as  well  as  the 
ideal,  the  beginning  and  end,  of  man’s  strivings.  This  tendency, 
under  divine  influence,  toward  the  perfection  of  man  with  all  that 
is  in  the  world,  gives  us  Messianic  Prophecy.  The  completion  of 
the  race  leads  to  the  idea  of  the  Kingdom,  the  organic  whole,  and 
the  King  that  is  to  come  must  complete  the  individual  and  the 
group. 

“Wanting  is — what? 

*  *  *  *  * 

Beamy  the  world,  yet  a  blank  all  the  same, 

— Framework  which  waits  for  a  picture  to  frame: 


INTRODUCTION 


3 


Come  then,  complete  incompletion,  O  Comer, 

Pant  through  the  blueness,  perfect  the  Summer. 

***** 

Grows  life,  grows  love,  grows  love.”  Browning. 

The  fundamental  cause  of  this  oneness  and  perfection  toward 
which  the  world  grows  and  at  the  end  of  which  reaches  its  perfec¬ 
tion  and  rest  in  God,  is  the  fact  that  God  is  Love.  This  is  the  key 
to  human  history,  creation,  providence,  religion,  that  God  ap¬ 
proaches  man,  and  all  agencies  are  set  on  foot  to  redeem  and  per¬ 
fect  man  progressively  into  God.  But  all  this  must  be  done  ethi¬ 
cally,  that  is  through  the  will  of  man,  for  man  is  made  a  free  moral 
being,  which  is  “in  the  image  of  God,”  and  hence  there  is  history, 
a  step  by  step  progress  to  the  goal  of  harmonious  union  of  man  in 
God  (John  1:14;  Col.  2:9;  Rev.  21:2,  3;  1  Cor.  15:28;  Ex.  19:6). 

2.  The  Gap  Between  the  Present  State  and  the  Future  Perfec¬ 
tion.  The  gulf  between  what  man  is,  and  what  he  ought  to  be,  or 
what  he  wants  to  be,  was  felt  in  heathenism  and  is  here  solved  by 
annihilation,  either  Nirwana,  or  suicide,  which  is  cutting  the  knot 
and  the  thread  of  life  at  the  same  time.  Israel  alone  feels  that 
gap  very  keenly  and  deeply.  It  is  painfully  aware  of  the  unrest 
and  its  cause  in  abysmal  sin,  but  has  received  by  revelation  the 
solution  in  redemption,  and  the  race’s  goal  in  perfection  and  peace 
with  God.  (Orelli,  page  2.)  This  solution  of  the  world  riddle  is 
not  the  fruit  of  Israel’s  own  musings,  not  mere  philosophical  theory 
or  doctrine,  but  is  the  gift  of  God  which  came  to  them  in  fellowship 
with  God  and  from  the  dynamic  of  God. 

Law  and  grace,  cleansing  from  sin  and  a  new  creation,  with 
final  completion  in  God  have  certainty  of  realization  through  One 
Man,  Son  of  Man  and  Son  of  God  (John  1:14).  Hence  prophecy 
is  the  promised  satisfaction  of  the  universal  heart-hunger  of  man 
(Rom.  8:18-25).  The  prophet,  and  likewise  Israel,  is  mediator, 
because  the  first  ones  to  receive  the  revelation  and  to  transmit  it 
toothers.  (Ps.  20:7;  Ps.  105:1-15;  Ex.  19:6.) 

3.  Prophecy  in  Heathenism.  The  heathen,  especially  in  olden 
times,  believed,  or  are  represented  as  believing,  that  some  men  had 
deeper  insight  into  the  mysteries  of  life,  could  know  and  reveal 
things  divine.  They  believed  that  deity  spoke  directly  to  and 
through  certain  men.  In  Homer  (I.  69,  70)  we  read  “Calchas,  by 
far  the  best  augur,  who  knew  things  present,  future  and  past.” 
And  Ovid  says  that  there  is  a  god  in  the  world,  that  there  is  inter- 


4 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


course  with  heaven.  The  spirit  comes  from  the  residence  of  the 
gods.  There  is  a  god  in  us.  Plato  says  that  there  is  a  knowledge 
beforehand  which  does  not  come  from  demonstration.  Plutarch 
claims  that  the  future  is  apprehended  with  logical  demonstration. 
They  believed  that  there  was  a  “furor  divinus,”  a  divine  frenzy, 
god-inbreathed.  The  mind  of  man  was  agitated  by  a  god,  and  the 
Greek  word  describing  inspiration,  mainomai,  indicated  a  spirit 
incited  by  a  higher  power. 

The  later  prophets  of  heathenism  were  mere  sign-interpreters, 
and  true  prophetism  was  ascribed  mostly  to  prehistoric  times. 
There  was  little  or  no  vital  connection  between  the  prophet  and 
historic  events,  as  was  the  case  in  Israel,  where  the  prophets  were 
intensely  historical  and  acted  upon  the  course  of  national  and  inter¬ 
national  events. 

U.  Analogous  Heathen  Prophetic  Functions.  All  heathen  an¬ 
tiquity  thirsted  for  divine  revelation  as  to  the  future.  They  seem 
to  have  been  less,  if  at  all,  concerned  about  their  moral  conduct,  or 
guidance  as  to  the  righteous  course  of  life  to  be  pursued.  They 
tried  to  satisfy  their  curiosity  in  various  ways.  They  had  presen¬ 
timents  as  Socrates  through  his  daimonion,  or  at  the  time  of  death. 
They  depended  on  dreams,  often  artificially  induced.  Though 
dreams  some  times  do  forecast  events,  yet  they  are  not  reliable, 
and  were  in  the  Bible  accompanied  by  authentic  interpretation  from 
the  God  who  gave  them  (Gen.  40:8;  41:16;  Dan.  2:27,  28).  On 
dreams,  formulas  for  obtaining  them  and  the  reliance  on  them  by 
the  Egyptians  see  Ebers  “Egypten  und  die  Buecher  Moses”  I.  321, 
322. 

5.  Lunacy  was  regarded  as  a  divine  inspiration.  An  exalted 
state  of  mind,  a  kind  of  mania,  was  induced  by  fumes  from  the 
earth  as  at  Delphi,  by  herbs,  or  by  movements  like  those  of  the 
modern  dervishes.  Elisha,  as  over  against  Elijah,  was  at  least 
once  helped  in  his  prophesying  by  a  minstrel  (2  Kings  3:15).  The 
greater  prophets  like  Isaiah,  though  they,  too,  were  in  an  elevated 
state  of  mind  and  used  exalted  language,  need  no  external  stimulus. 

In  as  much  as  the  soul  was  supposed  to  have  superhuman  pre¬ 
sentiments  just  at  death,  it  could,  when  altogether  released  from 
the  body,  know  as  did  the  demons,  and  hence  was  appealed  to  for 
information.  This  was  necromancy ,  or  divination  by  means  of  the 
dead,  or  the  spirit  of  the  dead.  This  was  called  Ob,  in  Hebrew. 
The  one  communing  with  the  departed  spirit  was  called  lord  of  the 
spirit,  baal  ob.  Such  were  also  called  yiddaon,  causing  to  know. 


INTRODUCTION 


5 


This  custom  was  among  the  Babylonians  (Isa.  19:3),  the  Canaan- 
ites  (Deut.  18:10-12)  the  Persians,  Thracians,  Greeks,  Etruscans 
(Lanormant  Magic) .  It  is  a  question  if  it  was  ever  effectual  (1  Sam. 
28).  It  was  folly  (Isa.  8:19)  and  a  sin,  to  pry  into  the  future. 
There  was  conscious  deceit  and  later  ventriloquism,  with  perhaps 
demoniac  influence.  In  the  case  of  the  witch  at  Endor  (1  Sam.  28) 
God  interposed  as  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  the  witch  was  her¬ 
self  surprised. 

6.  The  interpretation  of  signs  mid  events  gave  rise  to  many 
forms  of  divination.  Unusual  events  in  nature,  like  meteors,  catas- 
trophies,  etc.,  were  semeia,  or  signs.  The  Sibyl  was  an  enigmatic 
representation  of  the  sighs  and  groans  of  nature,  as  the  rustling 
of  the  leaves  or  the  murmur  of  the  spring  at  Dodona,  or  the  rust¬ 
ling  of  the  laural  at  Delos  (Compare  2  Sam.  5:23,  24).  Faith  in 
these  persisted  long  (Orelli,  page  20).  Astrology  rested  on  the 
belief  in  the  unity,  or  connection,  of  nature  with  divinity,  and  some 
mysterious  influence  of  the  heavenly  bodies  on  the  destiny  of  man. 
Auspices ,  the  observation  of  the  flight  of  birds,  and  later  on  such 
things  as  the  neighing  of  horses,  etc.,  rested  on  the  same  supopsed 
relation  of  nature  to  man’s  affairs.  In  hydromancy,  a  vessel  with 
water  was  used,  such  as  the  swimming  of  needles,  etc.,  to  determine 
future  events.  The  chance  meeting  with  an  animal,  etc.,  or  a  word 
unintentionally  spoken,  was  made  to  reveal  the  future. 

The  lot  was  quite  universally  used  and  was  approved  of  in  the 
Bible  as  late  as  Acts  1:24,  but  seems  to  have  been  superseded  by  the 
guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  (Lev.  16:8;  Num.  26:55;  Prov.  16:33.) 

This  heathen  prying  into  the  future  was  against  the  will  of  God, 
and  was  largely  mere  curiosity.  So  far  as  Israel  needed  to  know 
the  future  or  the  will  of  God  they  had  the  prophetic  institution 
(Deut.  18:18).  The  child  of  God  does  not  know  the  details  of  the 
future,  but  trusts  in  God  to  take  care  of  him.  “We  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  no  phenomenon  analogous  to  Biblical  prophecy,  even 
in  form,  is  any  where  to  be  found  in  the  world  of  nations”  (Orelli, 
page  24) .  Beyond  the  constancy  of  nature  and  of  history  there 
was  no  answer  to  heathen  inquiry.  Yet  “He  left  himself  not  with¬ 
out  witness”  (Acts  14:17).  Was  the  ignorance  of  the  nations  due 
to  the  fact  that  they  did  not  make  use  of  what  they  had  of  revela¬ 
tion  from  God,  and  so  atrophied  in  their  spiritual  sense  (Rom. 
l:20ff)?  See  on  the  subject  of  “Prophecy  Outside  of  Israel,” 
Schulz,  Old  Testament  Theology,  Vol.  I.  250-257. 


6 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


§  3.  The  Institution  of  Hebrew  Prophecy. 

The  institution  of  Hebrew  prophecy  can  best  be  understood 
from  the  18th  chapter  of  Deuteronomy,  when  it  was  first  formally 
set  up.  There  had  been  scattered  cases  of  prophetic  action  on  the 
part  of  various  persons  such  as  Abraham  (Gen.  20:7)  and  Jacob 
(Gen.  49).  And  Moses  himself  was  preeminently  a  prophet,  but 
not  one  of  the  class  of  prophets  which  God  through  him  ordained. 

1.  The  occasion  was  the  evident  need  of  a  spokesman  for  God 
to  Israel.  As  His  people,  they  needed  and  had  a  right  to  divine 
guidance  for  present  and  future  occasions.  The  divination  prac¬ 
ticed  by  the  nations  round  about  was  forbidden,  because  false 
(Deut.  18:9-14).  Up  to  this  time  Moses  had  been  the  guide  of  the 
newly  formed  nation.  Now  he  would  no  longer  be  with  them  (v. 

9) .  To  seek  after  idols  would  break  the  bond  between  them  and 
Jehovah  (v.  13).  The  Israelites  at  Mount  Sinai  had  shown  an  un¬ 
willingness  and  fear  to  meet  God  face  to  face  for  themselves  to 
get  from  Him  His  commands,  and  so  God  here  gave  them  the  insti¬ 
tution  of  prophecy  (v.  16,  17). 

2.  The  Designation  of  the  Office.  In  verse  18  the  prophet  is 
called  Nabhi’,  from  a  Semitic  word  which  means  to  speak.  This 
name  thus  points  to  the  fact  that  the  prophet  is  a  speaker.  He 
speaks  forth  that  which  he  has  received  from  God,  and  addresses  it 
to  the  people.  In  Ex.  7:1,  2  we  have  this  prophetic  function  clear¬ 
ly  indicated  where  Moses  is  as  God  to  Pharaoh  and  Aaron  is  his 
prophet,  or  spokesman.  The  Greek  name,  prophetes,  also  means 
to  speak  before,  or  in  behalf  of,  some  one,  in  Greece  for  the  oracle, 
who  was  driven  by  the  divine  being,  mainesthai.  What  he  thus 
spoke  had  to  be  translated  to  the  people  by  the  prophetes,  or 
prophet.  The  Hebrew  prophets  were  called  Melitz,  intrpreter, 
teacher  (Isa.  43:27),  perhaps  the  malak,  messenger,  in  Isa.  42:19 
refers  to  the  prophet.  They  were  called  servant  of  Jehovah  (Isa. 
43:27),  and  as  such,  they  spoke  in  God’s  name  and  His  word  to 
such  an  extent  that  they  always  said  “Thus  saith  the  Lord”  (Amos 
very  often  and  so  all  the  prophets) . 

On  the  other  hand,  the  prophet  receives  his  message  from  God, 
and  is  therefore  called  Roeh,  the  common  word  seer,  or  Chozeh,  the 
man  of  visions.  They  were  men  of  the  Spirit,  men  in  whom  was 
or  on  whom  came  the  Spirit  of  God  (Num.  11;  27:18;  1  Kings  22: 
21-24).  They  were  also  men  of  God  (1  Sam.  9:6;  1  Kings  12:22; 
17:18)  with  whom  God  spake  face  to  face  (Num.  12:6;  Deut.  34: 

10) .  In  1  Chron.  29:29  we  have  the  three  words,  Nibhi’,  Roeh,  and 


INTRODUCTION 


7 


Chozeh.  Hence  the  prophet  was  one  who  perceived  what  God  had 
to  say  to  the  people,  and  spoke  it  forth  whether  it  referred  to 
things  present,  past,  or  future,  although  the  future  events,  known 
only  to  God,  most  strikingly  characterized  him  as  messenger  of 
God.  In  the  service  of  the  kings  they  were  mostly  called  seers,  be¬ 
cause  here  their  seeing  what  others  could  not  see,  was  their  chief 
function.  Hence  also  they  were  called  watchmen,  who  had  their 
eyes  out  on  the  horizon  of  coming  events  (Isa.  52:8;  Jer.  6:17; 
Ezek.  33:7-9;  3:17). 

3.  The  Prophetic  Office .  That  Deut.  18:18  does  not  contem¬ 
plate  a  single  prophet,  to  begin  with,  is  evident  from  the  fact  that 
one  man  would  not  answer  the  demand  made  in  18:9-14.  Each 
occasion  as  it  rose  had  to  have  a  prophet  to  answer  their  questions 
as  the  years  rolled  on  (Jer.  7:25).  Then,  too,  the  form  of  the 
Hebrew  word  “aqim,”  “I  will  raise  up”  is  likely  expressive  of  cus¬ 
tomary  or  repeated  action.  That  the  passage  is  Messianic  does  not 
militate  against  this  view,  for  the  line  of  prophets  climaxed  in  the 
One  Great  Prophet,  Jesus  Christ,  who  fulfilled  all  that  these  prede¬ 
cessors  of  His  pointed  to,  just  as  the  imperfections  of  natural  ob¬ 
jects  suggest  the  artist’s  ideal  picture.  He  is  the  Prophet  who 
reveals  to  us  at  every  turn  what  the  will  of  God  is.  (John  1:18). 
This  office  began  to  function  in  Samuel  (Acts  3:24). 

U.  Divinely  Instituted  Office  of  Prophet.  In  the  word,  “I  will 
raise  them  up  a  prophet”  we  have  the  divine  origin  of  the  office. 
The  prophet  was  in  this  respect  like  the  priest  who  did  not  take 
the  honor  on  himself  (Heb.  5:4,  5),  for  the  prophet  was  raised  up 
by  God.  The  prophet  was  different  from  the  priest  in  that  the 
priest  was  born  to  the  office,  but  the  prophet  was  in  each  case  per¬ 
sonally  called  of  God.  “I  will  raise  up  a  prophet.”  Neither  was 
he  elected  by  the  people,  not  even  secondarily,  as  was  the  king. 
He  was  not  subject  to  recall  by  the  people,  as  was  the  king  (David, 
2  Sam.  19:11-15;  20:1-3;  and  Rehoboam,  1  Kings  12).  Amos  (2: 
11)  is  an  example  of  direct  divine  choice  of  the  person  of  the 
prophet. 

The  prophet  was  for  the  Israelites,  but  not  subject  to  their 
dictation,  for  them  and  not  for  the  world  at  large.  Even  Jonah 
was  a  prophet  for  Israel,  and  what  he  experienced  was  for  the 
warning  and  encouragement  of  Israel,  to  whom  he  came  with  the 
lesson  learned.  They  were  not  even  asked  whether  they  wanted  to 
listen  to  him  and  he  was  not  to  cease  when  they  refused  to  obey 
(Ezek.  2:5,  7;  3:11). 


8 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


5.  The  Prophet  A  True  Israelite.  This  lies  in  the  words, 
“From  among  their  brethren,”  and  is  also  in  harmony  with  the 
preceding  thought,  that  he  was  sent  to  Israel  alone.  He  was  to 
be  of  their  blood  and  of  their  ideals.  He  was  to  have  sympathy 
with  them  in  their  weaknesses  and  their  aims.  The  message  from 
God  was  to  be  in  fullest  harmony  with  the  theocracy,  and  not  a 
mechanically  given  word.  He  would  thus  have  a  right  to  speak, 
and  to  guide,  for  he  was  himself  going  the  same  way.  So  we  find 
that  in  their  history  there  was  no  true  prophet  from  outside  of 
Israel. 

6.  The  Beginning  of  the  Office  in  Moses.  In  the  words,  “Like 
unto  thee,”  we  have  the  beginning  of  the  institution,  for  before 
Moses  there  were  only  spasmodic  cases  of  prophets,  as  Abraham 
and  Jacob.  With  Moses,  God  spoke  face  to  face  (Num.  12:7,  8), 
and  so  God  spoke  to  the  later  prophets  without  dream  or  ecstacy. 
The  office  of  prophecy  was  essentially  to  continue  the  statutes  and 
constitution  of  the  theocracy.  The  prophets  were  to  be  its  inter¬ 
preters  and  guardians  so  that  when  the  people  went  astray  from 
it  the  prophet  carrolled  them  again.  Even  if  the  king  went  out¬ 
side  this  constitutional  limit,  the  prophet,  as  envoy  from  the  Over- 
lord  of  the  king,  rebuked  and  corrected  him  (Samuel  and  Saul; 
Nathan  and  David;  Elijah  and  Ahab,  etc.  Deut.  13:1-6). 

When  the  seventy  were  endowed  with  the  spirit  that  was  given 
to  Moses  (Num.  11:17),  and  Eldad  and  Medad  prophesied  also, 
Moses  expressed  the  wish  that  all  of  God’s  people  might  be  proph¬ 
ets  (Num.  11:26-29).  When  the  people  lacked  vision,  the  prophet 
arose,  called  of  God,  and  condemned  them  for  their  dead  orthodoxy 
(Isa.  1:11),  and  led  the  people  to  look  away  from  the  past  to  the 
light  of  the  future.  His  was  a  spiritual  and  vital  religion,  a  grow¬ 
ing  and  coming  glory,  a  spiritual  and  inward  law-keeping  and  thus 
he  often  ran  counter  to  the  priest  who  was  too  often  a  traditional¬ 
ist  in  this  respect.  Hence  when  a  man  became  a  prophet  he  became 
a  new  creature,  or  when  he  became  a  new  creature  he  became  a 
prophet  as  did  Saul  (1  Sam.  10:6-13). 

7.  The  Inspiration  of  the  Prophet.  “I  will  put  my  words  in 
his  mouth.”  These  words  give  us  the  fact  of  the  inspiration.  He 
is  not  to  speak  his  own  words  or  thoughts,  nor  the  thoughts  of  any 
other  man  or  group  of  men.  What  he  speaks  is  not  to  be  the  re¬ 
sult  of  human  invention  or  reflection,  not  even  reflection  on  what 
God  had  at  some  other  time  spoken.  It  was  to  be  something  given. 
Nathatti,  I  will  give.  A  supernatural  power  gives  the  prophet  the 


INTRODUCTION 


9 


substance  of  his  message.  It  comes  over  him  as  an  overwhelming 
power,  and  hence  is  called  “the  hand  of  Jehovah”  (Isa.  8:11;  Ezek. 
1:3;  3:14).  So  also  in  the  case  of  Elisha  (2  Kings  3:15).  This 
power  is  also  called  the  Spirit  of  Jehovah  (Ezek.  3:14).  It  re¬ 
moves  from  the  usual  sphere  of  thought  and  life  and  sets  the  recip¬ 
ient  into  closer  fellowship  with  God  (Ezek.  3:14-27).  There  is 
always  a  clear  distinction  between  what  the  prophet  as  a  man 
thinks,  and  what  the  Spirit  gives  him  to  say.  They  can  firmly 
assert,  “Thus  saith  Jehovah”  (2  Sam.  23:2;  Isa.  6:1;  Joel  13:1; 
2  Kings  22:22-24). 

Hence  the  prophet  is  always  actively  receptive,  receives  from 
the  supernatural  world  what  he  speaks,  and  is  not  like  the  false 
prophet  who  speaks  from  the  spirit  of  the  age,  the  Zeitgeist,  and 
thinks  out  what  he  says  (Jer.  14:14,  15;  23:16).  The  true  prophet 
is  God-impelled,  and  speaks  what  he  may  not  want  to  speak  (Amos 
3:8;  Jer.  20:7-9).  Hence  also  the  prophetic  power  is  not  innate 
in  the  Semitic  race  as  such  (As  Hitzig,  Isaiah  IX-XXXIII,  thinks). 
The  Semitic  mode  of  thought  may  have  helped  to  mold  the  message, 
to  connect  the  events  with  the  First  Cause,  and  to  trace  the  Abso¬ 
lute  in  the  particular,  so  that  argument  did  not  disturb  their  faith. 
But  the  prophet  distinguishes  between  his  own  thoughts  and  those 
received  from  the  divine  source.  That  they  were  holy,  intelligent 
men  makes  their  testimony  reliable,  and  their  message  divine  and 
objectively  given,  because  they  clearly  affirm  so.  The  final  test  of 
the  superhuman  origin  of  the  Hebrew  prophet’s  message  lies  in  the 
nature  of  its  contents  and  in  its  force  as  a  factor  in  history. 
(Davidson  144-158). 

8.  As  a  Speaker  for  God  the  prophet  had  no  choice,  but  had  to 
deliver  the  message.  The  time  and  place  were  chosen  for  him, 
and  the  whole  message  had  to  be  delivered.  “He  shall  speak  unto 
them  all  that  I  command  him”  (Deut.  18:18). 

§  4.  The  Prophetic  State  of  Mind. 

We  have  seen  that  the  word  of  God  came  to  the  prophet  as  a 
direct  command,  distinct  and  forceful,  and  that  he  had  to  deliver  it. 
We  ask  now,  “In  what  state  of  mind  was  he  when  God  spoke  the 
message  to  him?”  Here  we  notice  that  the  grades  ran  from  dream 
to  ecstacy  and  the  wakeful  state,  which  is  normal  to  us  all. 

1.  The  Dream.  In  this  the  mind  runs  on  uncontrolled  by  the 
dreamer,  and  he  is  thus  subject  to  the  divine  influence,  perhaps  all 
the  more  readily  because  the  reason  is  in  abeyance.  In  itself,  the 


10 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


dream  and  the  vision  are  unreliable  (Isa.  29:7,  8).  It  was  more 
common  in  the  case  of  those  not  of  the  theocratic  people,  and  of  a 
lower  order.  So  Pharaoh  and  Nebuchadnezzar  dreamed  and  Jacob 
in  his  earlier  stage  of  spiritual  life.  Both  dreams  and  visions  are 
classed  as  of  lower  order  (Num.  12:6-8).  When  dreams  were 
really  used  of  God  to  reveal  truths,  they  had  to  be  interpreted  by 
an  authenticated  person,  as  by  Joseph  and  Daniel. 

2.  Ecstacy.  In  this  state  the  subject  is  conscious  of  what  is 
going  on  in  the  mind,  to  which  God  speaks  directly,  and  not  through 
the  organs  of  sense,  that  is,  not  through  the  body.  (Gen.  15:1; 
49:1;  Num.  23:3,  4).  In  this  state  one  is  said  to  see  visions,  and  it 
is  classed  with  dreams  as  in  itself  unreliable  and  of  a  lower  order. 

8.  The  Self  conscious  and  Wakeful  State.  This  was  the  high¬ 
est  state  of  the  prophetic  soul,  and  was  common  in  the  later  proph¬ 
ets.  (Num.  12:6-8;  Ex.  24:10) .  In  this  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  some 
way  unknown  to  us,  makes  the  prophet  know  the  message,  and  that 
it  is  given  from  God.  Perhaps  “face  to  face”  in  Num.  12:8  is  the 
same  as  this.  There  seems  to  be  much  the  same  process  as  in  the 
answer  to  prayer  in  the  case  of  the  Christian  (Mic.  3:7;  Jer.  23 : 
35).  Compare  also  the  “Now  know  I”  of  Ps.  20:6  as  a  sudden 
awareness  of  a  fact  or  truth. 

Inspiration  seems  to  come  to  man  through  the  subconscious 
realm.  God  ordinarily,  and  for  the  common  purposes  of  life  speaks 
to  all,  but  only  they  who  make  use  of  what  He  imparts  get  more 
(Rom.  1:18-23).  Like  the  wireless  instrument,  the  soul  must  be 
attuned  to  the  spiritual,  if  it  is  to  catch  the  message  of  God.  To 
this  end  Israel  through  its  covenant  relations,  and  under  the  dis¬ 
cipline  of  God,  was  divinely  fitted,  made  and  kept  sensitized  to  re¬ 
ceive  God’s  message,  or  at  least  some  of  them  were  (Compare 
Beecher  88-109). 

§  5.  Prophetic  Functions. 

The  prophet  was  the  special  envoy  of  the  Supreme  Ruler  of 
the  earth,  and  especially  of  the  theocracy.  In  ordinary  cases  the 
priest  stood  between  God  and  the  people,  but  this  was  in  things 
that  were  established  in  laws  and  customs.  When  there  was  a  new 
development,  or  an  unaccustomed  occasion  that  had  to  be  settled  on 
the  constitutional  principles  of  the  Law,  or  the  people  and  even  the 
priests  were  derelict  in  duty,  the  prophet,  sent  by  God,  stepped  in. 
Even  the  king  was  in  this  case  subject  to  the  restrictions  and  re¬ 
buke  of  the  prophet.  He  was  the  bearer  of  the  divine  message 


INTRODUCTION 


11 


whether  it  was  of  things  past,  present,  or  future.  Prediction  was 
his  credential  (Isa.  41:22,  23;  44:7,  8;  Amos  3:8;  Isa.  44:26). 
Beside  their  usual  function  they  were  statesmen  as  Isaiah,  Jere¬ 
miah,  Hosea,  Nathan.  They  saw  no  division  between  the  north 
and  the  south,  but  as  true  statesmen  had  the  larger  aspect  of  the 
nation  at  heart.  (Isa.  8:14;  Amos  1:1;  3:1  and  Hosea  in  general). 
They  were  also  literary  men  and  evangelists  as  well  as  reformers. 

§  6.  Kinds  of  Prophets. 

Under  this  head  we  include  Female  Prophets,  Oral  Prophets, 
Literary  Prophets,  and  Sons  of  Prophets. 

1.  Female  Prophets.  While  the  great  majority  were  men, 
there  was  occasionally  a  prophetess.  These  were  Miriam  (Ex.  15: 
20;  Num.  12:1-3),  Deborah  (Judg.  4:4)  Huldah  (2  Kings  22:14), 
and  in  the  New  Testament  Anna  (Luke  2:36)  and  Philip’s  daugh¬ 
ters  (Acts  21:8,  9).  Though  the  Old  Testament  relegates  woman 
to  a  secondary  position  with  relation  to  man,  it  makes  her  essen¬ 
tially  his  equal  and  at  times  sets  her  above  him  as  in  the  case  of 
Deborah. 

2.  Oral  Prophets.  These  were  men  who,  so  far  as  we  know, 
left  no  written  message  behind.  They  differ  from  the  others  only 
in  this  outward  circumstance.  Chief  of  these  are  Elijah,  Elisha, 
Nathan,  with  a  large  number  of  lesser  lights  named  and  unnamed. 
Their  message  seems  to  have  been  more  exclusively  to  the  times 
when  they  were  living,  and  expected  to  be  at  once  obeyed. 

3.  Literary  Prophets.  Of  these  we  usually  think  when  the 
word  prophet  is  used.  They  spoke  to  an  unbelieving  age,  and  it 
seems  that  this  unreceptive  state  of  the  mind  of  their  contempo¬ 
raries  was  the  cause  of  fixing  their  message  in  writing.  From 
Isa.  8:16-17  we  may  be  justified  in  concluding  that  these  writings 
were  first  entrusted  to  the  faithful  inner  circle  around  the  prophet, 
and  used  by  those  that  feared  Jehovah  and  spake  often  one  with 
another  (Mai.  3:16)  in  their  religious  meetings,  while  they  “looked 
for  Him”  (Isa.  8:17).  The  writings  thus  living  on,  would  be  wit¬ 
nesses  for  God  against  the  unbelievers  as  well  as  consolation  to 
those  who  looked  for  His  coming  (Jer.  36). 

U.  Sons  of  the  Prophets.  These  were  the  members  of  the 
Schools  of  the  Prophets,  so  called.  These  companies  of  young  men 
under  the  leadership  and  teaching  of  a  real  prophet,  at  least  at 
times,  were  not  called  schools  in  the  Bible  but  bands  (1  Sam.  10: 
5-12)  or  assemblies  (1  Sam.  19:19-24).  The  only  partial  justifica- 


12 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


tion  for  calling  them  schools  is  in  the  word  Naioth,  literally  home, 
dwelling,  understood  in  the  sense  of  College.  Another  indication 
that  these  may  have  been  schools  lies  in  the  statement  that  Samuel 
stood  at  the  head  of  a  company  that  was  “prophesying”  in  Ramah 
(1  Sam.  19:20).  This  may  have  been  ecstatic  exercises  in  song  and 
praise  accompanied  with  physical  actions  common  to  excitement 
and  madness  (1  Sam.  18:10;  19:21-24).  But  there  is  no  evidence 
that  these  instructions,  or  this  training,  was  intended  to  make 
prophets  of  them  in  the  sense  in  which  the  real  prophets  were 
such.  Elisha  sent  one  of  the  sons  of  the  prophets  with  a  vial 
to  anoint  Jehu,  and  to  repeat  the  threat  already  given  the 
house  of  Ahab  (2  Kings  9:1-10).  Only  one  of  them,  so  far 
as  the  record  goes,  acted  on  his  own  initiative  as  a  real  prophet 
(1  Kings  20:35-43).  They  are  all  indeed  called  prophets  but  in  a 
loose  sense  by  Obadiah  (1  Kings  18:13)  and  much  in  the  sense  in 
which  Jezebel’s  leaders  in  Baal  worship  were  so  called  (1  Kings 
18:19,  20).  They  seem  to  have  been  men  banded  together  for  the 
maintainance  of  Jehovah  worship  in  times  of  special  degeneracy, 
much  like  the  conferences  in  Germany,  the  Rhine  Conference  and 
Gnadenauer  Conference  as  expression  of  the  evangelical  movement 
there,  or  as  similar  organizations  in  this  country.  There  might 
of  course  be  one  called  to  be  a  real  prophet  but  they  were  not  the¬ 
ological  seminaries  where  every  one  entering,  became  in  process  of 
time,  a  real  prophet.  This  is  not  contradicted  by  the  statement  of 
Amos,  that  he  was  not  even  a  son  of  a  prophet  (7:14).  He  was 
not  the  messenger  of  a  prophet  nor  even  belonged  to  a  guild. 

We  find  them  in  six  localities,  at  Ramah  (1  Sam.  19:18-24), 
Bethel  (10:3;  1  Kings  13:11;  2  Kings  2:3),  Gilgal  (1  Sam.  7:16; 
2  Kings  2:1),  Jericho  (2  Kings  2;  6:1,  2),  Carmel  (2  Kings  2:23, 
25;  4:8-25),  Samaria  (2  Kings  2:25).  They  seem  to  have  been 
usually  under  the  leadership  of  one  of  the  real  prophets,  thus  un¬ 
der  Samuel  and  later  under  Elijah  and  Elisha.  (1  Sam.  19:19,  20; 
2  Kings  2:1-6;  2:15;  4:38).  What  they  were  taught,  or  what  they 
did,  is  not  given.  They  may  have  practiced  music  (1  Sam.  10:5) 
and  studied  sacred  history,  that  is  God’s  dealings  with  Israel  for 
religious  purposes  (1  Chron.  29:29).  Whether  they  had  a  contin¬ 
uous  existence  from  Samuel,  when  they  seem  to  have  arisen  until 
Elijah  and  Amos  is  not  clear.  There  seems  to  have  been  at  all 
times  a  company  of  believers,  as  in  the  days  of  Isaiah  (8:16)  and 
Malachi  (3:16),  when  the  times  were  evil  and  the  ark  of  God  was 
in  danger. 


INTRODUCTION 


13 


They  maintained  themselves  by  labor  and  gifts,  and  were  often 
poor  (2  Kings  4:1-7,  8-11,  39;  5:21-24). 

§  7.  False  Prophets. 

These  are  spoken  of  in  Jer.  14;  23;  Ezek.  13;  Hos.  4:5;  Micah 
2:6,  11;  3:5,  6.  The  subject  is  treated  by  Professor  Davidson 
Prophecy  chapter  XVII  and  Schulz  OT  Theol.  I,  257-264. 

1.  The  Origin  of  False  Prophecy.  “The  spirit  of  true  proph¬ 
ecy  is  the  spirit  of  the  theocracy,  breathes  its  principles,  expresses 
its  morality,  and  unfolds  its  necessary  and  certain  issues.”  True 
prophecy  held  firmly  and  consistantly  to  the  concept  of  God  as  a 
spirit,  holy  and  one  only.  From  this  high  idea  of  God  nothing 
turned  the  true  prophet  away.  He  held  to  the  idea  that  Israel  was 
the  kingdom  of  God;  a  kingdom  of  priests  (Ex.  19:6),  that  God 
dwells  in  Israel  as  symbolized  by  His  dwelling  in  the  temple  (Isa. 
6;  Ps.  2;  72)  and  demanding  like  holiness  of  His  people.  As  over 
against  the  New  Testament’s  more  internal,  spiritual,  conception, 
the  O.  T.  conception  was  outward,  national,  local,  for  truth  enters 
the  mind  from  the  meterial  side  (1  Cor.  15:46;  John  4:21-24). 
But  prophecy,  different  from  legalism,  looked  forward  and  con¬ 
sciously  or  unconsciously  groped  after  the  deeper  spiritual  mean¬ 
ing  in  the  outward  form  of  existence  of  the  kingdom.  This  deeper 
insight  into  the  significance  of  Israel  made  it  natural  for  the  proph¬ 
ets  at  times  to  seem  untrue  to  their  country,  to  seem  unpatriotic, 
for  they  saw  that  the  kernel  could  be  conserved  while  the  shell  was 
lost,  the  substance  kept  under  the  change  of  form.  Thus  Jeremiah 
was  apparently  unpatriotic,  a  traitor  in  his  advice  to  fall  away  to 
the  Babylonians.  (Jer.  37:13;  38). 

It  is  in  this  that  the  false  prophet  had  his  origin.  He  was 
superficial,  and  this-worldly,  materialistic  and  unspiritual.  He 
looked  upon  the  outside  only.  The  true  prophet  warned  against 
compromising  alliances  with  the  world,  in  which  the  false  prophet 
saw  only  advantages  for  Israel.  The  former  trusted  in  military 
prowess  as  a  sure  means  of  aggrandizement,  to  which  the  true 
prophet  opposed  reliance  on  Jehovah  alone  (Hos.  14:3;  Ps.  20:7; 
Isa.  30  and  31;  Jer.  14;  23;  Ezek.  13).  In  this  they  put  their 
human  judgment  above  the  voice  of  God  which  they  did  not  hear, 
or,  if  heard,  did  not  heed.  Had  not  Nathan  changed  his  mind  he 
would  have  been  a  false  prophet  (2  Sam.  7:1-6). 

2.  Kinds  of  False  Prophets.  There  were,  then,  those  who  hon¬ 
estly  spoke  their  convictions,  but  who  mistook  their  own  notions 


14 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


for  a  clear  “thus  saith  the  Lord.”  They  went  on  errands  on  which 
Jehovah  had  not  sent  them  (Jer.  14:14,  15;  23:21,  32;  27:12-15). 
But  there  were  likely  also  those  who  prophesied  what  the  people 
wanted,  and  thus  gained  favor  and  made  money  by  it.  They  white¬ 
washed  instead  of  cured  the  rent  in  the  wall  (Ezek.  13:10).  From 
unsubmissiveness  to  God  in  teaching,  they  fell  into  unsubmissive¬ 
ness  in  morals  (Jer.  23:9-12;  7:4;  29:23;  5:12).  These  all  were 
still  outwardly  Jehovah  prophets. 

Beside  the  prophets  who  failed  to  grasp  the  deeper  meaning 
of  the  theocratic  institutions  and  historic  events,  or  were  untrue  to 
their  religion,  there  were  those  who  tried  to  combine  the  religion 
of  Jehovah  with  idolatry,  failing  to  realize  the  uniqueness  of  Jeho¬ 
vah  revelation,  as  did  Solomon.  These  were  syncretists  (Zeph.  1: 
5),  and  the  fruit  of  the  confusion  of  the  times  (Isa.  40:27;  49:14; 
Ezek.  8:12).  The  people,  not  finding  in  the  formal  worship  of  Je¬ 
hovah  what  they  needed,  as  men  to-day  run  after  new  cults  because 
they  find  their  religion  unsatisfactory,  took  up  with  other  gods 
(Jer.  44:17).  Each  of  these  tendencies  had  its  spokesman,  or 
prophet. 

Other  false  prophets  were  those  of  false  gods,  outspokenly  ad¬ 
vocated,  like  the  hundreds  of  Baal  and  Asherah  prophets  of  Jeze¬ 
bel  (1  Kings  18:19).  These  may  have  been  largely  time  servers 
and  bread  prophets  as  they  ate  at  Jezebel’s  table. 

3.  The  Times  of  False  Prophets.  It  seems  strange  that  there 
were  any  false  prophets  at  all  in  Israel,  for  the  true,  we  should 
think,  were  so  overwhelmingly  convincing  that  the  false  could  not 
get  a  hearing.  But  so  should  the  Christian  ministry  of  to-day  be. 
But  there  are  hollow  forms  of  Christianity,  and  specious  claims 
that  errors  make,  which  lead  astray  the  superficial  and  worldly  and 
confuse  the  simple.  Man  is  ever  looking  on  the  things  that  are 
seen,  and  unwilling  or  unable  to  see  the  invisible  (Rom.  1:20).  It 
often  takes  time  for  error,  the  tares,  to  manifest  itself.  The  deep 
things  of  God,  as  of  all  life  rest  not  on  logic  but  on  faith.  We 
walk  by  faith  and  not  by  sight.  The  divine  word  in  all  ages  de¬ 
mands  a  soul  receptive  for  it.  Blind  eyes  can  not  see  the  light,  and 
a  wicked  heart  holds  down  the  truth  (Rom.  1:18).  In  Isaiah’s 
day,  scoffers  rejected  the  prophet’s  word  because  they  were  sinful 
and  had  plans  of  their  own  that  were  crossed  by  the  plans  of  God 
(Isa.  28).  The  contemporaries  of  Jeremiah  either  denied  that  he 
spoke  for  Jehovah,  or  blankly  refused  to  heed  (Jer.  43:2;  44:15). 
They  claimed  that  he  made  himself  a  prophet  (29:26,  27). 


INTRODUCTION 


15 


Even  the  honest  but  shallow  religious  men  were  perplexed.  The 
miracle  alone  was  not  a  sure  criterion  (Deut.  13:1-5;  Ex.  7:11; 
8:7)  and  Jezebel  was  not  convinced  by  it  (1  Kings  18)  In  Deut. 
18:20,  21  the  test  is  given  that  a  thing  must  be  spoken  in  the  name 
of  Jehovah  and  accompanied  by  prediction  that  comes  to  pass  in 
history.  But  this  took  often  too  long  a  time  for  the  individual. 
In  the  times  of  Jeremiah  Hananiah  was  slain  by  the  hand  of  the 
Lord  to  substantiate  the  prophet’s  word  (Jer.  28:17).  Otherwise 
the  long  deferred  fulfilment  perplexed  the  people.  (Ezk.  12:22,  27; 
Jer.  5:12,  13).  They  had  to  wait  to  see  the  truth  (Ezek.  2:5;  33: 
33).  In  such  soil  false  prophecy  flourished. 

§  8.  Periods  of  Prophetic  Activity. 

The  written  prophets  of  the  Old  Testament  as  well  as  the  more 
important  oral  prophets,  group  themselves  around  crises  in  the 
history  of  the  nation.  In  fact  the  prophet  was  a  special  envoy  for 
special  times.  They  are  therefore  often  grouped  according  to  the 
influence  of  outside  nations.  Elijah  and  Elisha  worked  in  the  time 
of  the  idolatrous  influence  of  the  Phoenician  queen  Jezebel  against 
the  effort  to  overthrow  Jehovah  worship. 

A.  B.  Davidson  classifies  them  as  follows: 

I.  The  Assyrian  Age.  Amos  B.C.  760-750.  Hosea  B.C.  750- 
735.  Isaiah  1-39  B.C.  740-700.  Micah  B.C.  724.  Nahum  610-608. 
II.  The  Chaldean  Period.  Jeremiah  B.C.  626-586.  Habakkuk  B.C. 
605-600.  Ezekiel  B.C.  593-573.  III.  Exilic  Period.  Isaiah  40-66  B. 
C.  540.  Zechariah  B.C.  520.  Haggai  B.C.  520.  Malachi  B.C. 
460-450. 

Orelli  classifies  them  as  follows: 

I.  The  Pre-Assyrian  Period.  Obadiah,  B.C.  842.  Joel,  B.C. 
837-817.  II.  The  Assyrian  Period.  B.C.  740-625.  (a)  In  North¬ 

ern  Israel:  Amos,  Hosea,  Jonah,  (b)  In  Judah:  Isaiah,  Micah, 
Nahum.  III.  Pre-Babylonian  Period ,  B.C.  Habakkuk.  IV.  Baby¬ 
lonian  Period,  625-538,  Jeremiah  in  Palestine.  Ezekiel  and  Daniel 
in  Babylonia,  Isaiah  40-66.  V.  Post  Exilic  Period,  Haggai,  Zecha¬ 
riah  and  Malachi. 

§  9.  The  Kingdom  of  God  is  the  Subject  of  Prophecy. 

1.  Prophecy  a  Factor  in  Human  History.  (A.  B.  Davidson, 
chap.  1).  God  made  man,  the  whole  race,  for  Himself,  because  He 
is  love,  and  the  Bible  is  the  record  of  the  revelation  of  Himself 


16 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


under  varying  conditions,  to  man.  But  this  relation  of  God  to  man 
and  of  man  to  God,  must  be  ethical.  This  relation  of  love  began  in 
Israel,  but  was  intended  to  become  universal.  Of  this  love-relation 
the  prophet  is  the  first  to  catch  the  idea  and  insist  on  it  for  Israel 
and  through  them  for  the  world.  (Ex.  19:6;  Rev.  21:2,  3).  The 
Israelites  were  firstborn,  and  the  other  nations  were  to  come  in 
later  and  through  Israel  (Isa.  40-48).  The  prophet  was  the  mediat¬ 
ing  person  between  God  and  Israel  and  thus  through  them  as 
promised  to  Abraham,  to  the  world.  “In  thee  shall  all  the  families 
of  the  earth  be  blessed”  (Gen.  12:1-3;  20:17;  Ps.  105:14,  15). 
The  prophet  predicts,  that  is,  forecasts  the  divine  plan,  not  only 
of  Israel  but  of  the  world.  In  Israelite  history  prophecy  is  the 
dominating  factor  (A.  B.  Davidson,  chap.  II).  “The  history  of 
Israel  is  the  history  of  prophecy.”  Through  prophecy  we  get  not 
only  a  general  outline  of  history,  they  were  writers  of  history 
(1  Chron.  29:29),  but  also  many  of  the  inner  details,  and  the  mind 
of  Israel  and  its  life.  The  deeper  movements  of  Israel  were  guided 
by  the  prophets,  who  fertilized  the  mind  of  the  people  with  new 
thoughts  and  urged  them  on  to  higher  reaches  of  life.  Prophets 
never  ceased  in  Israel  (Deut.  18:15-18;  Jer.  7:25;  Amos  2:10). 
This  is  the  same  as  that  Jehovah  was  in  Israel  as  King,  for  the 
prophet  was  His  agent  (Amos  3:7,  8),  that  is,  it  was  a  history  of 
the  beginning  and  development  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  in  the  world, 
His  rule  in  the  individual  first  and  in  the  nation  and  world  later. 
The  prophet  wrote  Tendenz  Geschichte,  but  true  to  fact  and  truth. 
They  recorded  not  dead  facts  but  gave  the  real  meaning  of  the 
events  (1  Sam.  15:22;  2  Sam.  12:24). 

2.  The  Word  of  the  Prophet  and  the  Kingdom.  The  subject 
of  prophecy  being  the  kingdom  of  God,  the  prophetic  word  is  the 
expression  of  the  will  of  God  regarding  the  kingdom.  Moses  was 
a  prophet,  the  agent  to  lay  the  foundation  of  the  Kingdom.  Hence 
later  prophetic  words  had  to  be  based  on  the  Torah  (Deut.  13:1-3), 
and  the  work  of  the  prophet  was  to  get  the  people  to  realize  the 
Torah  in  the  lives  of  the  individuals  and  the  nation.  Hence  the 
prophet  had  ever  to  correct  misconceptions  in  the  minds  of  the  peo¬ 
ple  and  wrong  tendencies  in  the  leaders. 

3.  The  Ethical  Nature  of  the  Kingdom.  As  already  said,  the 
Kingdom  was  based  on  the  will  of  man,  that  is,  it  was  ethical.  God 
could  not  force  men  to  enter,  or  to  work  in,  the  Kingdom,  without 
contradicting  His  work  in  making  man  in  His  own  image.  But  this 
means  that  man  had  to  be  left  to  choose,  and  this  again  is  saying 


INTRODUCTION 


17 


that  the  Kingdom  developed  progressively,  slowly,  and  with  many 
mistakes,  since  it  was  human,  and  this  is  to  err.  Prophecy  was 
not  a  means  to  satisfy  human  curiosity,  but  it  served  to  build  up 
man  into  the  Kingdom.  It  was  miraculous,  but  with  an  ethical, 
moral  purpose.  As  the  kingdom  of  Israel  was  the  model  of  the 
world-wide  Kingdom  of  God  that  would  at  last  include  the  human 
race,  the  prophet  was  not  without  relation  to  the  heathen  nations 
round  about.  Thus  all  the  great  prophetic  books  contain  sections 
on  the  surrounding  nations.  They  were  all  concerned  with  the 
Kingdom  (Isa.  25-26). 

U.  Prediction  and  the  Kingdom.  In  the  strict  sense,  prediction 
means  the  foretelling  of  events  even  if  disconnected.  Messianic 
prophecy  is  not  in  this  sense  prediction.  It  constructs  a  kingdom 
and  brings  in  a  King  from  divinely  given  principles  (Orelli,  p.  27). 
Prediction  in  the  strictest  sense  is  not  excluded,  but  in  the  nature 
of  the  case  characteristic  of  true  prophecy.  There  is  a  unity  be¬ 
tween  prediction  and  prophecy  in  the  wider  sense.  The  Kingdom 
of  God  is  not  an  abstract  system  of  thought  but  a  living  historic 
reality  that  is  to  be  humanly,  progressively,  realized,  i.e.  gain 
actually  in  life  and  hence  the  apparently  isolated  events  are  con¬ 
nected  as  in  an  organism  in  the  coming  of  the  completed  Kingdom. 
The  prophet  himself  may  not  be  able  to  see  the  meaning  of  the 
events  he  enunciates  (1  Peter  1:12).  Of  this  consummation  the 
day  of  judgment  is  the  end,  of  blessedness  on  the  one  part,  God’s 
people,  and  of  doom  on  the  part  of  the  God-opposed  forces,  or  sin. 

5.  Law,  Life  and  Liberty.  The  completion  of  the  Kingdom  in 
the  judgment,  where  the  glory  of  the  Kingdom  and  the  overthrow 
of  sin  is  revealed,  gives  us  these  three  elements,  Law,  Life  and  Lib- 
rty,  or  the  Law  as  the  revelation  of  the  divine  demand  on  man  with 
its  obverse  side  of  the  revelation  of  sin  (Rom.  3:20;  7:7,  8)  ;  sec¬ 
ondly,  Life,  or  the  promise  of  a  power  which  shall  enable  man  to 
keep  the  law  which  is  spiritual  while  man  is  carnal  (Rom.  7:14), 
and  thirdly,  Liberty,  or  the  deliverance  of  man  from  the  enslaving 
power  of  sin,  and  from  the  bonadge  of  natural  weakness,  as  over 
against  spiritual  dynamic. 

The  Law  which  says,  “Be  ye  holy  for  I  am  holy”  (Lev.  19:2; 
20:7),  is  the  condition  of  that  fellowship  with  God  which  is  im¬ 
plied  in  man’s  being  made  in  God’s  image  (Gen.  5:24;  6:9).  The 
promise  was  ever  more  clearly  revealed,  as  man  learned  his  own 
natural  weakness,  and  his  inability  through  sin,  until  it  came  in 


18 


MESSIANIS  PROPHECY 


personal  presence  in  the  Immanuel,  God  with  us  (Matt.  1:21-23). 
Only  when  God  entered  in  and  dwelled  with  man,  could  he  realize 
what  the  Law  demanded.  Redemption  from  sin  was  the  eradica¬ 
tion  not  only  of  the  guilt  of  past  sin  but  also  of  the  power  as  a 
present  indwelling  disease,  and  this  was  also  held  up  to  the  people 
as  it  is  particularly  in  Isa.  49-66. 

These  three  lines  run  through  prophecy.  The  priests  symbolized 
the  salvation  from  sin  in  acts  and  ceremonies,  the  prophets  prom¬ 
ised  it  in  words.  The  priests  stressed  the  shedding  of  blood,  the 
prophets  stressed  the  outflow  of  life  (John  7 : 36-39)  according  to 
the  Law. 

Hence  the  prophets  were  statesmen,  but  not  demagogues;  rev¬ 
olutionists  when  people  had  turned  away  from  God,  but  never 
traitors.  As  men  of  God,  speaking  for  a  holy  God,  they  were  holy, 
men  of  high  moral  character,  and  needed  seldom  to  rely  on  mira¬ 
cles.  They  appealed  to  men’s  conscience  (Amos  1-6).  There  was 
to  them  a  form  that  had  its  use  but  had  to  be  finally  set  aside  to 
conserve  the  kernel.  They  saw  the  invisible  (Jer.  31:31),  the  spir¬ 
itual  and  the  real  and  strove  to  get  their  countrymen  to  see  and 
strive  for  it. 

§  10.  Analogies  of  the  Prophetic  Kingdom  in  Heathenism. 

The  heathen  always  longed  to  know  and  valued  highly,  the  will 
of  the  gods.  “Sine  divino  numine,  nihil.”  Perhaps  we  should  rath¬ 
er  say  that  they  wanted  to  know  the  outcome  of  their  undertak¬ 
ings  rather  than  the  will  of  the  divinity.  To  them  the  diety 
was  rather  passive,  or  a  servant,  Man  made  the  initiative  in  the 
inquiry  as  in  the  undertaking.  Not  so  in  Israel,  where  God  made 
the  initiative.  The  heathen  made  use  of  their  dieties,  and  these 
were  caught  in  the  meshes  of  nature  and  the  weakness  of  humanity. 
There  was  no  real  divinity  in  their  gods.  But  the  Bible  treats  of  a 
power,  dunamis,  above  and  distinct  from  man.  The  Sibyl  was 
Jewish,  not  really  heathen,  and  an  imitation  of  Biblical  prophecy 
with  at  most  some  remnant  of  lost  Sibylin  books. 

Heathen  historians,  Herodotus,  Plutarch  and  Tacitus,  saw 
higher  laws  working  in  history,  but  did  not  see  the  divine  aim  and 
unity  of  action  and  purpose  as  did  the  prophets.  Plato  and  Aris¬ 
totle  sketched  the  ideal  state  but  were  not  sure  of  its  realization. 
(Orelli,  p.  43).  Of  the  individual  man  Plato  had  a  prophetic  vision 
and  describes  him  as  follows:  “Such  being  our  unjust  man,  let  us 
place  the  just  man  by  his  side;  a  man  of  true  simplicity  and  no- 


INTRODUCTION 


19 


bleness,  as  Aeschylus  says,  not  to  seem  but  to  be  good.  We  must 
certainly  take  away  the  seeming,  for  if  he  be  thought  to  be  a  just 
man,  he  will  have  honors  and  gifts  on  the  strength  of  this  reputa¬ 
tion,  so  that  it  will  be  uncertain  whether  it  will  be  for  the  sake  of 
justice  or  for  the  sake  of  the  gifts  and  honors,  that  he  is  what  he 
is.  Yes,  we  must  strip  him  bare  of  everything  but  justice,  and 
make  his  case  the  reverse  of  the  unjust  man.  Without  being  guilty 
of  one  unjust  act,  let  him  have  the  worst  reputation  for  injustice, 
so  that  his  vertue  may  be  thoroughly  tested  and  shown  to  be  proof 
against  infamy  and  all  its  consequences;  and  let  him  go  on  to  his 
death,  steadfast  in  his  justice,  but  with  a  lifelong  reputation  for 
injustice  .  .  .  they  (who  prefer  injustice  above  justice)  will  say 
that  in  such  a  situation  the  just  man  will  be  scourged,  racked,  fet¬ 
tered,  will  have  his  eyes  burned  out,  and  at  last,  after  suffering 
every  kind  of  tortures,  will  be  crucified ;  and  thus  he  will  learn  that 
it  is  best  to  resolve  not  to  be  but  to  seem  just.”  De  Republica  II. 
1.  page  6B  in  Davis  and  Burges  trans.  and  Orelli,  page  49). 

This  is  but  a  supposed  case  and  there  is  no  assurance  that 
such  a  man  will  ever  arise.  It  is  only  a  mind  picture,  and  at  that 
an  isolated  case,  that  of  Plato.  According  to  Seneca,  somewhat 
such  a  character  appears  every  five  hundred  years  or  so,  and  at 
that  he  is  not  thought  of  in  connection  with  the  world  or  the  head 
of  a  kingdom.  The  Biblical  Christ  is  not  a  mere  conception.  He  is 
an  historical  person  and  the  prophets  thought  of  Him  as  the  com¬ 
ing  King,  the  Head  of  a  body  of  individuals  that  will  all  be  like 
Himself.  The  Stoic  school  had  greater  hope  of  realization  than 
Plato.  Zeno  gives  his  state  a  wider  range  (under  oriental  influ¬ 
ence?)  that  is,  he  sees  all  nations  as  one  flock,  governed  by  reason. 
But  deity  does  not  here  come  to  its  own,  to  its  due,  for  man  is  self- 
righteous.  This  thought  is  Jewish  and  anti-Pauline.  It  is  human, 
and  is  found  to  day  in  that  which  speaks  of  Christianity  as  “the 
best  that  is  in  man.” 

There  are  heathen  presentiments  of  redemption,  a  longing  for 
the  return  of  a  supposed  past  golden  age  of  unruffled  peace.  So 
the  Chinese;  the  Rig  Veda;  the  Egyptians,  and  Virgil  quoting  th< 
Sybil  of  Cuma,  “the  last  age  of  the  world  will  be  blissful”  (in  hia 
4th  Eclogue).  The  Parsis  (Zoroaster)  believed  that  “in  the  last 
or  4th  age  the  evil  will  have  gained  the  upper  hand,  but  then  the 
good  will  conquer.”  Here  the  moral  force  and  moral  superiority 
will  assert  itself.  Conscience,  man’s  moral  sense,  demands  this. 
Yet  the  kingdom  idea  is  here  everywhere  wanting.  Among  the 


20 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


Hindus  there  is  a  pining  for  release  from  the  burden  of  existence, 
but  no  idea  of  a  positive  personal  existence,  for  even  Buddha  is 
only  negative,  redemption  being  dissolution.  In  the  German  and 
Norse  mythology,  in  the  Edda,  the  present  world  ends,  the  gods  die 
in  the  Goetterdaemmerung  and  live  again  after  the  world  had  been 
destroyed  and  then  Allvater  will  be  supreme. 

There  are  strong  contrasts  between  heathenism  and  Israel, 
(a)  In  the  one,  uncertain  seeking  and  groping;  in  the  other  a  firm 
assurance,  (b)  In  the  one  vague,  fickle,  surmisings;  in  the  other 
a  firm  clear  prophetic  word,  (c)  In  the  one,  divers  views  of  the 
final  goal  and  the  way  thereto;  in  the  other  the  goal  is  clear  and 
all  are  agreed  and  the  way  thereto  is  known  and  assured.  But 
prophecy  is  not  a  mere  Semitic  product;  it  is  divine,  a  gift  of  God 
to  the  Hebrew  people  for  the  world  (Orelli,  p.  49). 

§  11.  The  Influence  of  the  Age  on  the  Prophet. 

In  the  Form  of  Expression.  Although  prophecy  and  that  which 
it  prophesies  is  the  gift  of  God,  still  the  nature  of  the  man  and  the 
environments  of  time  and  place  have  their  influence  on  prophecy. 
Prophecy  was  always  present  and  acted  on  the  development  of  the 
nation,  and  the  nation  somewhat  determined  the  product.  Only 
when  adapted  to  the  age  can  the  age  understand  prophecy  and 
build  the  kingdom  which  prophecy  holds  up  to  view.  Had  the 
prophets  come  to  Greece  or  Rome,  their  words  and  work  would 
have  been  different,  though  in  essence  the  same.  They  and  their 
people  were  Hebrews,  and  the  kingdom  was  Hebrew  and  for  the 
Hebrews.  Zion  was  always  the  center  and  symbol  of  the  kingdom, 
literal  and  figurative.  How  much  prophecy  was  and  is  local,  and 
for  that  time  is  a  question.  Thus  the  attitude  of  the  Israelite 
kingdom  to  the  other  nations,  Egypt,  Assyria  etc.  is  symbolic  and 
teaches  lessons  for  the  future  Kingdom  of  God.  The  prophet  saw 
the  future  Kingdom  in  these  to  him  necessary  forms  or  dress.  His 
thoughts  were  cast  in  the  mold  of  the  Hebrew  mind  and  nation. 
The  truths  are  often  expressed  in  figures  which  lie  apart  and  must 
be  brought  together  so  as  to  form  the  intended  whole  (Matt.  13). 
Whether  and  how  much  literal  fulfilment  there  will  be,  the  events, 
when  fulfilment  shall  have  come,  will  declare.  In  the  mean  time 
we  must  not  be  dogmatic  on  either  side. 

2.  Perspective.  In  the  view  of  the  prophet  the  distant  moun¬ 
tain  peaks  alone  are  seen.  Things  seen  as  one  and  in  terms  of  then 
present  events,  or  conditions,  institutions  and  the  like,  may,  in  ful- 


INTRODUCTION 


21 


filment  be  many  and  differently  viewed,  that  is  successive  and  at 
large  intervals  of  time.  The  thing  rather  than  the  time  and  the 
form  is  in  the  mind  of  the  prophet.  In  fact  there  seems  to  have 
been  in  antiquity  much  less  stress  laid  on  chronology  as  we  under¬ 
stand  and  stress  it.  As  for  example,  the  time  of  a  harvest  is  not 
fixed  by  the  almanac,  but  by  the  ripeness  of  the  grain.  The  Ger¬ 
man  word  for  ripe  is  zeitig,  full  of  time.  This  time  of  ripeness  of 
the  prophetic  events  is  known  as  “The  latter  days.”  The  coming 
of  God’s  perfected  rule,  unfolded  gradually  and  from  seedling  be¬ 
ginnings,  is  the  unity  of  prophecies  relating  to  the  future  (Orelli, 
p.  33).  Prophecy  has  progressive  growth  and  abiding  unity,  his¬ 
torical  continuity. 

“Yet  I  doubt  not  through  the  ages  one  increasing  purpose  runs 

And  the  thoughts  of  men  are  widened  with  process  of  the  suns.” 

Prophecy  doled  out  information  at  each  stage  as  it  was  needed  for 
the  growth  of  the  kingdom  in  the  minds  and  life  of  Israel.  It  seems 
that  God  gave  them  some  things  far  in  advance  of  their  status  at 
the  time, — ideals  to  be  striven  for  and  attained.  In  their  age  of 
childhood  their  vision  was  narrow  and  materialistic,  or  outward, 
but  in  their  later  stages,  when  Assyria,  Babylonia,  and  Persia  came 
to  their  consciousness,  they  enlarged,  universalized  and  spiritual¬ 
ized  their  ideas  of  the  kingdom.  Times  of  political  darkness  and 
moral  failure  spurred  them  on  to  look  for  divine  intervention  and 
spiritual,  deeper  realities  and  prophetic  pictures  of  future  glory. 
The  divine  advent  became  rife,  especially  among  the  more  spiritual 
and  true.  (Orelli,  p.  35). 

3.  There  was  a  consciousness  of  continuity  among  the  vc vrious 
prophets.  They  quoted  from  each  other  (Isa.  2:2-4;  Micah  4:1-5). 
They  were  all  conscious  of  a  constantly  narrowing  circle  from 
Adam,  through  Noah,  Shem,  Abraham,  Jacob,  Moses,  David. 

J.  Prophetic  Periods.  While  there  were  always  prophets  more 
or  less  in  evidence  in  Israel,  yet  there  were  priods  when  they  were 
dominant,  or  at  least  present  in  greater  number.  In  the  Third 
Stage  of  Israelite  History  (My  Outlines  of  O.  T.  History)  that  is 
from  the  Secession  onward  when  the  kingdom  of  David  began  to 
totter,  when  evil  influences  arose  and  pressed  hard,  then  the  proph¬ 
ets  arose  as  defenders  of  the  faith  and  opponents  to  the  forces  of 
evil.  Thus  Elijah  and  Elisha  opposed  the  influence  of  Jezebel  and 
Phoenician  Baalism.  Jonah,  Amos  and  Hosea  group  around  the 
decline  and  fall  of  Samaria,  Isaiah,  Micah  and  Jeremiah  around 


22 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


that  of  Jerusalem.  In  the  great  crisis  of  Babylonian  Captivity, 
Ezekiel  and  Daniel;  and  in  the  crisis  of  the  building  of  the  second 
temple,  Haggai  and  Zechariah  appeared  to  champion  the  cause  of 
the  Lord.  From  another  side  the  prophets  were  the  nurses  or 
tutors  of  Israel  in  its  transition  from  childhood  to  manhood.  In 
the  times  before  the  secession  they  were,  like  a  child,  self-centered, 
stressing  as  was  not  improper,  their  inner  development.  Later  the 
altruistic  side  of  their  life  had  to  be  developed,  when  the  faculties 
and  powers  thus  far  developed  were  to  be  applied  to  the  problems 
of  the  world  development. 

We  have  thus  a  preprophetic  period  and  a  more  strictly  pro¬ 
phetic  period.  In  the  first  the  regal  power  is  built  up  while  in  the 
second  the  regal  power  declines.  In  the  first  there  were  merely 
single  oracles,  prophecies  of  uncertain  date,  speaking  of  the  consum¬ 
mation  of  the  kingdom.  In  the  second  there  were  entire  books 
whose  kernel  was  prophetic  and  the  treatment  in  systematic  contin¬ 
uity.  In  the  first  the  struggle  was  to  build  up  the  kingdom  of 
David,  to  gather  and  unify  the  elements;  while  in  the  second  the 
subject  is  redemption  as  the  outcome  of  judgments  leading  to  the 
consummation  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  In  the  first  the  divine  deeds 
preponderate,  while  in  the  second,  divine  words,  due  to  the  more 
idealistic  conception  of  the  Kingdom.  In  the  first  there  are  types, 
distinct  and  elaborate,  while  in  the  second  there  are  more  inciden¬ 
tals.  In  the  first  the  outer  events  of  history  predominate  over  the 
inner,  while  in  the  second,  prophecy  goes  in  advance  of  history,  his¬ 
tory  following  the  divine  word. 

The  transition  from  the  first  to  the  second  is  gradual.  In  the 
second  the  spiritual  and  universal,  as  over  against  the  material 
and  local,  comes  to  expression.  The  kingdom-building  in  the  first 
sets  the  goal  in  a  model,  and  the  realization  of  the  Kingdom  lies 
beyond  this  end.  From  the  secession  of  the  Northern  Kingdom  on¬ 
ward,  the  catastrophy  of  both  the  North  and  the  South  stands  be¬ 
fore  the  people  and  the  prophets,  and  impends.  After  the  Captiv¬ 
ity,  the  promise  of  a  kingdom  is  in  the  background,  and  the  redemp¬ 
tion  through  the  Priest  comes  to  the  forefront. 

§  12.  Typology. 

One  of  the  forms  of  the  expression  of  the  prophets  is  the  type. 
The  basis  of  this  is  the  likeness  between  things  natural  and  things 
spiritual  (or  psychical).  God  created  things  on  certain  principles, 
using  the  material,  visible  things  to  teach  the  invisible  and  spirit- 


INTRODUCTION 


23 


ual,  or  expressing  the  laws  spiritual  in  visible  things.  As  we  have 
natural  bodies  to  express  the  soul  within,  so  mental  and  spiritual 
truths  are  adequately  expressed  and  embodied  in  things  material. 
Perhaps  the  world  that  appeals  to  the  senses  was  made  for  this 
very  purpose.  “Alles  Vergaengliches  ist  nur  ein  Gleichnis”  (Goe¬ 
the)  .  All  things  that  pass  away  are  only  a  parable.  “We  look  not 
at  the  things  that  are  seen  but  at  the  things  that  are  not  seen,  for 
the  things  that  are  seen  are  temporal,  but  the  things  which  are 
not  seen  are  eternal”  (2  Cor.  4:18). 

This  is  also  illustrated  in  our  every  day  language.  Almost  all 
words  for  mental  or  spiritual  concepts  have  a  basis  in  the  material 
world,  a  so-called  groundmeaning.  We  say,  “We  see  the  point, 
grasp  a  situation,  or  grasp  the  truth,  etc.”  all  literally  taken  from 
the  material  realm  and  applied  to  the  supersense  realm.  Time  and 
space,  though  very  different,  use  the  same  words,  and  so  the  nat¬ 
ural  law  holds  good  in  the  spiritual  world.  All  teaching,  in  and 
out  of  the  Bible,  goes  from  the  physical  to  the  spiritual.  “That  is 
not  first  which  is  spiritual,  but  that  which  is  natural,  then  that 
which  is  spiritual.”  (1  Cor.  15:46).  On  the  basis  of  this, 
Jesus  could  use  parables  in  which  He  clothes  His  spiritual  teach¬ 
ing  in  words  and  pictures  from  the  material  things  around  Him. 

Another  basis  for  the  use  of  types  is  the  fact  that  the  lower 
stages  of  development  of  life  are  prophetic  of  the  later  and  higher. 
The  flower  is  but  a  modified  leaf.  The  form  of  the  crystal  is  the 
same  as  each  of  its  component  parts.  The  wayside  gutter  is  a  min¬ 
iature  geology  of  continents.  The  child  is  father  of  the  man.  In 
the  moral  world,  also,  the  history  of  the  individual  man  is  but  the 
epitomy  of  mankind  on  a  larger  scale,  and  in  the  study  of  history 
this  ought  always  to  be  kept  in  mind.  In  a  wicked  world  the  good 
man  receives  the  same  treatment  in  all  ages,  as  Plato  well  foresaw. 
Compare  the  experience  of  Socrates  with  that  of  other  truthful 
and  good  men.  Aristides  was  ostracised  because  they  were  tired 
of  hearing  him  called  the  just.  The  laws  are  the  same  whether 
they  act  in  large  or  small  events,  at  present  or  in  ages  far  removed. 

On  these  two  facts,  the  use  of  the  material  to  teach  the  non¬ 
material  and  the  foreshadowing  of  the  higher  by  the  lower,  rests 
Old  Testament  typology,  especially  in  regard  to  persons,  for  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  perfect  man,  the  absolute  ideal  for  man  and  woman. 
He  is  also  the  realization  of  the  ideal.  Hence  all  good  men  that 
lived  before  Him  were  in  a  sense  foreshadowings  of  Him,  because 
they  were  in  part  realizing  the  Ideal.  So  the  treatment  given  them 


24 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


anticipated  and  pointed  to  that  which  He  received.  But  the  same 
is  true  of  men  outside  of  the  Bible.  So  for  instance  Socrates  was 
charged  with  not  believing  in  the  gods  which  the  state  believed  in, 
with  introducing  new  divinities,  and  with  corrupting  the  young. 
Jesus  was  accused  before  Pilate  (Luke  23:5)  with  stirring  up  the 
people,  with  opposing  the  traditions  of  the  fathers  and  blasphem¬ 
ing  God.  What  is  true  of  men  before,  is  true  of  men  after  Christ. 
These  reflect  His  image  more  or  less  completely  and  if  they  had 
lived  before  Him  we  might  call  them  types.  Such  were  Savan- 
arola,  Wycliffe,  Luther,  Lincoln,  etc.  etc. 

1.  With  these  remarks  as  preliminary  considerations  we  study 
the  so-called  types  of  the  Old  Testament.  “A  type  is  the  inade¬ 
quate  representation  of  a  divine  idea  which  is  to  be  more  perfectly 
realized  afterward”  (Orelli,  p.  38).  “A  type  is  a  divinely  intended 
illustration  of  a  truth”  (Scofield).  There  are  two  kinds  of  types, 
(a)  General  types  or  illustrations,  taken  from  nature  and  history, 
and  (b)  Special  types,  intentionally  made  such  to  teach  lessons 
and  point  to  events  to  come,  such  as  the  tabernacle  with  its  furni¬ 
ture  and  ritual.  We  speak  of  symbols  as  being  visible  sign  or  ac¬ 
tions  that  represent  present  grace,  as  baptism,  the  Lord’s  Supper, 
the  sacrifices  etc.,  and  of  types  as  foreshadowing  what  is  to  come 
later  in  more  perfect  form. 

The  word  type,  Greek  tupos,  is  from  the  verb  tupto,  to  strike, 
as  with  the  foot  and  so  tupos  means  an  imprint.  The  word  is  used 
in  the  New  Testament  in  the  meaning  of  “print,”  “the  print  of  the 
nails”  (John  20:25),  and  several  times  as  example  or  pattern.  In 
Rom.  5:14  “Adam  .  .  .  who  is  the  figure  of  him  who  is  to  come.” 
In  this  case  it  is  not  clear  whether  Adam  was  more  the  type 
(tupos)  of  Christ  than  the  husband  of  the  family  is,  or  more  than 
the  head  of  the  body.  In  God’s  creation  and  work,  every  thing  is 
intentional,  and  so  every  illustration  may  have  this  intention.  The 
word  skia,  shadow,  picture,  is  also  used  in  Heb.  8:5;  10:1,  of  Old 
Testament  facts  fulfilled  in  the  New  Testament.  The  word  para- 
bole  is  used  in  the  same  way  in  Heb.  9:9;  11:19  and  is  translated 
figure. 

If  a  type  is  a  divinely  intended  illustration  of  some  truth,  it 
is  difficult  to  tell  where  to  stop,  for  there  are  thousands  of  illustra¬ 
tions,  and  the  writers  might  have  used  many  more  than  they  did 
and  so  might  have  made  their  illustrations  types  by  putting  them 
into  the  New  Testament.  Jesus  might  have  used  untold  numbers 
of  parables,  as  any  one  who  observes  can  find  in  nature  and  history 


INTRODUCTION 


25 


many  illustrations  of  the  ways  of  God  among  men.  The  fact  that 
some  of  these  have  been  used  as  illustrations  does  not  prove  that 
they  were  divinely  intended,  unless  we  say  that  all  nature,  physical 
as  well  as  moral,  was  made  with  the  intention  of  illustrating  spir¬ 
itual  truth,  and  then  we  say  too  much.  In  a  very  true  sense  God 
does  reveal  Himself  in  all  nature  (Rom.  1:18-20)  and  all  spiritual 
truths  might  be  illustrated  from  nature  and  history.  God  works, 
as  does  the  teacher,  from  the  outside  to  the  inside.  The  figures 
and  diagrams  on  the  black  board  have  this  purpose  and  serve  only 
this  end.  Every  body,  even  very  young  children,  see  likenesses 
readily.  In  fact  there  is  always  an  invisible  world  behind  the  visi¬ 
ble,  which  we  are  to  see  through  the  visible.  It  is  no  where  said 
in  the  Bible  that  certain  illustrations  have  been  divinely  intended 
more  than  others,  and  so  were  to  be  “types.”  Eve,  for  instance,  is 
no  more  a  type  of  the  Church  than  is  any  wife  (Scofield  Bible  at 
Gen.  1:14;  2:23;  compare  Eph.  5:25-32). 

The  consistency  of  God’s  dealing  with  us  gives  rise  to  types, 
just  as  a  father’s  rescuing  a  child  from  water  is  typical  of  his 
rescuing  him  later  in  life  from  greater  and  spiritual  dangers.  God’s 
dealings  with  Israel  in  the  physical  and  lower  matters  of  life  were 
tokens  of  His  dealings  with  them  in  the  higher  and  spiritual  mat¬ 
ters.  The  Hebrew  word,  teshua,  had  a  literal,  material,  or  physi¬ 
cal  sense  in  the  Old  Testament,  a  deliverance  from  physical  dan¬ 
ger,  in  the  New  it  means  salvation,  a  spiritual  experience.  Yet 
the  one  is  hardly  a  specially  intended  illustration  of  the  other. 
God’s  consistency  gives  us  the  consolation  that  He  will  help  in  one 
case  as  well  as  in  the  other,  the  lower  being  typical  of  the  higher. 

It  seems,  then,  that  many  or  all  of  the  so-called  personal  or 
historical  types  are  simply  illustrations  taken  from  one  sphere  to 
explain  and  enforce  events  in  another,  from  the  lower  or  more  out¬ 
ward  of  the  Old  in  the  more  spiritual  in  the  New  Testament.  The 
visible  and  tangible,  being  simpler  and  more  easily  grasped,  teach 
the  invisible  and  spiritual  truths.  The  authors  might  have  used 
very  many  more  illustrations  and  so  made  them  “Types.” 

No  such  types  can  be  used  to  teach  what  is  not  otherwise  ex- 
plicity  taught  in  words.  Types  and  symbols  and  parables  illus¬ 
trate,  that  is  throw  light  on  what  is  known  to  be  true.  They  may 
not  be  pressed  beyond  what  they  were  intended  to  illustrate  and 
this  can  and  must  be  gathered  from  the  context.  Usually  they  il¬ 
lustrate  one  or  a  few  points. 

2.  When  we  come  to  things  and  institutions  established  ex- 


26 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


pressly  to  teach,  impress  or  perpetuate  truths,  or  to  illustrate 
divine  spiritual  events  to  come,  we  have  a  different  proposition. 
We  have  here  the  analogy  of  the  kinder  garten,  the  school  room. 
Such  a  purpose  is  seen  especially  in  the  Old  Testament  Tabernacle 
and  its  ritual.  These  are  not  events  in  the  course  of  nature  and 
history.  They  were  made  by  divine  direction  (Ex.  25:8)  for  pede- 
gogical  purposes.  They  are  things  and  actions  whose  real  meaning 
is  behind  the  visible  as  in  baptism  and  the  Lord’s  supper. 

The  Tabernacle,  and  later  the  temple,  with  the  furniture,  the 
priests,  the  sacrifice  and  services,  are  all  a  system  of  symbolic 
teachings,  illustrative  and  impressive,  especially  for  that  early  age. 
As  above  said,  in  language  the  words  used  to  denote  mental  and 
spiritual  ideas  have  their  origin  in  matter,  in  the  physical.  It  is 
not  an  easy  task  to  find  words  to  denote  non-material  concepts. 
Missionaries  find  it  so  in  translating  the  Bible  or  in  conveying,  for 
instance  the  idea  of  love,  to  the  mind  of  the  lower  races.  Now 
when  God  wanted  to  bring  the  body  of  spiritual  truths  into  the 
world,  He  began  by  laying  the  foundation  in  the  visible  things  and 
actions  in  the  Old  Testament  ritual,  and  so  moved  from  things 
material  and  outward  to  the  spiritual  and  invisible,  as  does  the 
teacher,  and  as  does  all  language.  In  the  formal  realm  God  pre¬ 
pared  the  Greek  language  which  by  long  usage  of  words  with  a 
physical  meaning  to  designate  mental  and  spiritual  concepts,  laid 
the  foundation  for  the  New  Testament  language.  Thus  God  made 
the  Old  Testament,  the  picture  book  and  dictionary  for  the  New 
where  the  words  and  pharases  got  their  deeper  spiritual  meaning 
by  an  easy  transition,  begun  already  in  the  Old.  As  instances  note 
such  words  as  altar,  mercy  seat,  holy  of  Holies,  blood,  etc. 

These  now  are  types,  divinely  intended  illustrations  in  the 
stricter  sense,  of  divine  truths.  It  is  not  strange  that  so  much  in 
the  Bible  is  symbolic.  A  great  deal  of  our  daily  life  is  symbolic. 
Our  daily  language  is  largely  figurative,  symbolic,  often  does  not 
literally  mean  what  it  says  and  depends  on  the  connection  for  its 
real  meaning.  In  business  we  handle  checks,  banknotes,  etc.,  all 
of  no  real  value  but  symbols.  The  whole  science  of  algebra  is  built 
up  of  signs  and  symbols.  Freemasonry  is  largely  expressed  in 
symbols.  We  all  understand  these,  at  least  those  within  the  limits 
of  our  life.  Now  as  all  ancients  were  largely  and  intensely  relig¬ 
ious  they  understood  religious  types  or  symbols  as  we  understand 
them  in  business.  The  Jews  must  have  well  understood  the  sym- 


INTRODUCTION 


27 


bols  of  the  Old  Testament,  for  symbols  and  figurative  language 
are  native  to  the  human  mind.  (Davidson,  193-241). 

§  13.  Fulfilment  of  Prophecy. 

While  prediction  and  fulfilment  are  not  the  whole  or  bulk  of 
prophecy,  yet  in  the  nature  of  the  case  prediction  and  fulfilment,  or 
at  least  fulfilment  belong  to  the  essence  of  prophecy.  As  we  have 
seen  (paragraph  11)  prophecy  has  the  Kingdom  of  God  for  its  sub¬ 
ject  and  this  means  the  inception  and  growth  of  the  idea  and  real¬ 
ity  of  the  Kingdom  in  the  world.  Much  of  the  Kingdom  was  and 
is  yet  in  the  future,  and  the  later  stages  are  predicted  in  the  ear¬ 
lier,  the  whole  needs  to  be  more  or  less  definitely  known  to  man  in 
order  that  he  may  intelligently  and  effectively  co-operate  with  God 
in  the  bringing  of  it  into  the  world.  In  this  way  prophecy  must  run 
ahead  of  history  and  its  premonitions  and  plans  must  find  their 
fuller  development  later,  that  is,  must  be  fulfilled.  Plato’s  repub¬ 
lic  never  became  history,  and  Prince  Metemich’s  Europen  inter¬ 
linked  kingdom  fell  down  like  a  house  of  cards.  No  man,  mere 
man,  can  forecast  the  future.  The  Kingdom  of  God,  as  foreshown 
in  prophecy,  was  taken  up  by  Jesus  Christ  (Mark  1:14)  and  car¬ 
ried  on  after  Him  in  the  Acts  (Acts  1:1)  “The  kingdom  of  God  is 
at  hand”  and  “All  that  Jesus  began  both  to  do  and  to  teach.”  This 
kingdom  of  Jesus,  and  that  is  the  kingdom  of  the  prophets,  is  firm 
and  growing  as  Napoleon  at  St.  Helena  is  said  to  have  said,  while 
the  kingdoms  of  all  mere  men  have  passed  away. 

The  conception  of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  of  which  Jesus  is  the 
head  and  center,  cannot,  in  such  detail  and  truth,  be  forecast. 
Ethico-religious  foresight  or  insight  into  the  ways  and  plans  of  God 
without  revelation  is  impossible  and  divine  fulfilment  of  His  own 
foretold  plans  only  will  take  place. 

There  were  in  the  Old  Testament  often  fulfilments  that  were 
more  than  the  general  fulfilment  of  principles.  No  one  could  have 
foretold  the  coming  and  the  outcome  of  the  Sennacherib  invasion, 
or  the  death  of  Hananniah  (Jer.  28:11-17).  These  occurrences  had 
the  purpose  of  credentials  to  the  prophet’s  divine  call.  (Deut.  18: 
22;  Jer.  28:9;  Ezek.  33:13).  Many  of  the  predictions  of  evil 
never  came  at  all  to  pass  because  they  were  conditioned  on  the 
change  of  heart  on  the  part  of  those  whom  they  concerned.  In 
Jonah  4  it  is  regarded  as  no  exceptional  thing  that  Jehovah  re¬ 
pented  on  the  repentance  of  the  people.  In  other  cases  the  details 
were  the  alphabet  in  which  the  greater  thoughts  were  written  and 


28 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


needed  not  to  be  painfully  repeated.  The  letter  killeth.  The  spirit 
maketh  alive.  Not  every  stone  in  the  temple  walls  of  Jerusalem 
was  removed  (Luke  19:41). 

1.  New  Testament  Fulfilment  in  General.  As  already  said,  the 
prophecy  of  the  Old  Testament  is  the  revelation  of  the  divine  king¬ 
dom  with  Jesus  Christ  as  the  source  and  capstone.  It  is  essentially 
fulfilled  in  Jesus  Christ.  Jesus,  as  the  realization  of  the  union  of 
God  and  man,  as  the  full  expression  of  the  will  of  God  in  man, 
was  the  fulfilment  of  the  law  and  the  prophets  (Matt.  5:17).  The 
Kingdom  of  God  is  the  union  of  God  and  man  on  a  race  wide  scale 
as  well  as  in  the  individual.  In  Him  the  race  will  have  its  proper 
Head,  theanthropic.  This  divine  plan  of  the  Kingdom  is  the  sub¬ 
ject  of  the  Old  Testament  law  and  prophets.  It  began  in  the  found¬ 
ing,  and  continued  in  the  history  of  the  theocracy  of  the  Old  Tes¬ 
tament.  It  reaches  its  actual  completion  in  the  work  and  positive 
contributions  of  Jesus,  for  He  did  not  call  Himself  a  prophet, 
though  the  people  did  (John  6:14).  And  His  disciples  saw  Deut. 
18:18  fulfilled  in  Him  (John  1:46;  Acts  3:22;  7:35ff).  As  ap¬ 
plied  to  Himself,  He  used  the  word  only  in  a  proverb  (Matt.  13:57). 

John  the  Baptist,  the  greatest  of  the  prophets,  was  only  at  the 
door  of  the  Kingdom  (Matt.  11:9).  Jesus  was  the  fulfilment  of 
the  prophets  (Luke  4:16-21;  Isa.  64:1,  2a).  He  did  not  continue 
the  prophecy,  He  closed  it.  Hebrews  1:1  puts  Him  in  antithesis  to 
the  prophets.  John  1:18  makes  Him  the  only  medium  of  revela¬ 
tion.  His  disciples  were  heralds,  proclaimers,  not  prophets  of  the 
Kingdom,  of  Him  (Acts  1:8;  Mark  1:14).  They  said  “The  King¬ 
dom  is  here.”  When  He  came  He  did  not  explain  the  Kingdom,  but 
announced  its  presence  (Mark  1:14,  15).  In  Him  the  promised 
Kingdom  (Dan.  7:13)  found  its  realization  (Matt.  13:3-9;  13:24- 
30).  He  said  “It  is  now  here”  (Luke  17:20).  He  spoke  of  His 
Kingdom  and  of  Himself  as  King  (John  18:36,  37).  He  appears 
as  the  final  Lawgiver  of  the  Kingdom  (Matt.  5:17,  21-48)  and  sets 
Himself  above  Moses  (Matt.  12:3-13;  19:3-9)  as  He  did  in  regard 
to  the  Sabbath  also  (Mark  2:27,  28).  He  not  only  spoke  of  giving 
His  life  a  ransom  (Matt.  20:29)  and  of  the  blood  of  the  new  cov¬ 
enant  (Matt.  26:28)  but  actually  died,  saying  “It  is  finished.” 
Hence  in  Him  the  plan  of.  the  Old  Testament  is  completed  (Luke 
24:27;  2  Cor.  1:20). 

The  conclusion  of  the  development  of  the  Kingdom  by  Jesus 
is  the  God-willed  concluding  epoch  of  the  Kingdom.  But  His  work 
is  not  a  mechanical  counterpart  of  the  Old  Testament  promises, 


INTRODUCTION 


29 


resting  on  single  passages.  This  was  in  the  nature  of  the  case  im¬ 
possible,  for  the  Old  Testament  picture  of  the  future  is  not  mechan¬ 
ical, — it  is  an  organism,  it  grew,  developed  between  two  factors, 
the  material  and  the  spiritual,  the  earthly  and  the  heavenly.  It  is 
in  this  respect  like  man,  earthly  and  heavenly.  The  question  is, 
“On  which  of  these  two  factors  the  stress  was  laid  within  the  Old 
Testament.  All  through  the  Old  Testament,  from  Abraham  on,  the 
word:  “Jehovah  is  King”  (Ex.  15:18)  sounds  forth  and  is  no¬ 
where  lost.  Not  even  in  1  Samuel  8:5  can  the  profane  mass  cry 
it  down  with  their  demand  for  a  heathenish  king.  So  it  asserts 
itself  in  1  Sam.  15:22;  2  Sam.  24:11;  1  King  11:29-40;  Isa.  30:15. 
And  so  the  movement  in  Israel’s  history  was  Godward.  Israel  in 
all  its  relations  was  to  become  a  spiritual  sphere.  The  Son  of 
David  is  represented  less  and  less  as  a  warrior  etc.  and  more  and 
more  as  a  spiritual  King  (Isa.  11:2;  Zech.  9:9).  Results  of 
His  coming  are  (a)  The  blotting  out  of  human  sin  and  guilt  (Isa. 
4:4;  Micah  7:19;  Zech.  14:1;  Isa.  43:25;  44:22),  and  (b)  the 
stirring  of  human  hearts  for  a  new,  fresh,  inward  fellowship  with 
God,  a  personal  relation  to  Him  (Jer.  31:34;  Ezek.  36:25-27; 
Zech.  12:1a;  Joel  2:1;  Isa.  32:15;  59:21). 

The  soul  of  the  Old  Testament  was  its  look  up  and  outward, 
“hinaus  und  hinauf,”  the  spiritual  as  over  against  the  political  ac¬ 
cent.  The  Jews  had  no  right  to  look  for  an  earthly  Davidic  king¬ 
dom.  This  was  at  the  time  of  Christ  not  possible,  and  should  not 
have  been  looked  for.  The  fundamental  basic  prophecy  of  the  New 
Covenant  (Jer.  31:31-34)  says  nothing  of  a  throne,  nor  has  Mala- 
chi  anything  about  a  throne,  but  the  Coming  One  was  to  be  an 
angel  of  the  Covenant,  a  sun  of  righteousness  with  healing  in  its 
rays  (Mai.  3:1;  4:2).  Prophecy  progressed  from  the  material  to 
the  spiritual  view  of  the  Deliverer,  from  material  glory  to  spiritual 
light  and  peace.  It  was  the  intention  to  bring  the  people  to  a  real¬ 
ization  of  their  sins,  to  make  them  feel  their  sins,  their  need  of 
emancipation  from  sin  and  to  prepare  them  for  a  Kingdom  whose 
crown  was  expiratory  suffering  (Isa.  53),  whose  citizens  were  the 
spiritually  poor  (Am.  2:8;  Mai.  3:16,  17). 

Jesus  caught  this  trend  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  realized 
this  aim  in  the  fullest  measure.  He  bent  all  the  rays  of  the  O.  T. 
into  one  focus  and  led  the  thoughts  of  His  followers  on  to  the  high¬ 
est  goal.  The  fact  that  the  throne  of  David  was  not  again  set  up 
after  the  exile  should  have  earnestly  reminded  the  Jews  of  the 
nature  of  the  future  Kingdom.  Jesus  showed  them  that  His  king- 


30 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


dom,  that  of  the  prophets,  had  relatively  nothing  to  do  with  earth¬ 
ly  goods  (Luke  17:20,  21;  John  4:21-24)  but  that  it  belonged  to 
the  other-world  sphere  (John  18:36).  Still  all  things  were  His 
(Matt.  11:27)  and  those  that  sought  first  this  Kingdom  would  get 
all  the  rest  thrown  in  (Matt.  6:33).  So  the  Old  Testament  idea 
of  the  priest  culminates  in  Him,  and  He  is  Priest-King  (Zech.  6: 
9-13;  Matt.  20:28;  2  Cor.  5:21).  He  is  emphatically  the  Sufferer 
(Isa.  53).  The  devil’s  temptation  to  avoid  the  cross ,  Jesus  put  off. 

But  He  did  not  get  His  call  or  idea  of  His  mission  from  the  Old 
Testament  and  its  prophecy,  in  the  sense  that  He  found  it  and 
adopted  it.  He  had  it  in  Himself  from  God.  He  and  the  O.  T.  are 
one  whole,  He  bringing  to  the  O.  T.  its  own  logical  and  moral  con¬ 
clusion.  The  genius  of  the  O.  T.  expressed  itself  in  Him.  The 
historical  reality  of  His  contributions,  the  rocklike  basis  of  His  re¬ 
ligious-historical  mission  are  guaranteed  by  (a)  His  first  witnesses, 
by  (b)  the  crystal  clearness  of  His  position  (Matt.  15:23),  by  (c) 
the  ethically  pure  unselfishness  of  His  strivings  (as  against  Mo¬ 
hammed),  by  (d)  the  heroic  example  of  His  suffering  and  death, 
and  by  (e)  the  events  of  succeeding  history.  (See  Koenig  Ge- 
schichte  des  Reiches  Gottes,  §45). 

2.  New  Testament  Fulfillment  in  Particular.  While  Jesus  is 
the  fulfilment  of  prophecy,  the  prophecy  of  the  Kingdom  in  the 
larger  sweeps  of  the  Kingdom,  still  there  are  many  detailed  ful¬ 
filments  both  in  Jesus  and  in  history  outside  of  His  life  and  Per¬ 
son.  He  is  Lord,  Son  of  Man  (Dan.  7:13;  Mark  14:61,  62).  He 
is  son  of  David  and  Lord  of  David  too  (Ps.  110:1;  Matt.  22:41- 
45).  In  general  compare  the  19th  of  John  with  the  53rd  of  Isaiah; 
Isa.  53:3  with  John  19:6  “Behold  the  man!”  53:4,  5,  6,  8,  9,  11 
with  His  innocence  (John  19:4),  His  silence  (53:7;  19:9),  miscar¬ 
riage  of  judgment  (53:8;  19:6)  etc. 

The  following  are  taken  from  a  Yiddish  Tract  (Wie  so  sollen 
mir  ihm  erkennen,  814  Tacoma  Building,  Chicago) . 

He  was  the  child  of  a  young  woman  Isa.  7:14;  Luke  1:26-38. 
He  came  from  Bethlehem  (Micah  5:2;  Matt.  2:1-6).  He  was  a 
human  being  born,  but  with  the  attributes  of  God  (Isa.  9:6,  7).  He 
was  called  out  of  Egypt  (Hosea  11:1;  Matt.  2:15).  There  is  the 
prediction  of  John  Baptist  (Isa.  40:3;  Mai.  4:5;  Mark  1:2,  3; 
Matt.  11:14)  and  the  riding  into  Jerusalem  on  an  ass  (Zech.  9:9; 
John  12:15).  He  was  sold  for  30  pieces  of  silver  (Zech.  11:12; 
Matt.  26:15).  He  was  smitten  on  the  cheek  (Micah  5:1;  Matt. 
26:67;  John  18:22;  Mark  15:19).  He  was  crucified  (Ps.  22:16; 


INTRODUCTION 


31 


John  19:17,  18;  20:24,  25).  He  was  given  vinegar  to  drink  (Ps. 
69:21;  Matt.  27:34,  48).  He  was  a  Messiah  cut  off  (Dan.  9:26). 
He  was  spit  in  the  face  (Isa.  50:6;  Matt.  26:67).  He  was  mocked 
on  the  cross  (Ps.  22:6-8;  Matt.  27:38,  39).  His  clothes  were  di¬ 
vided  by  lot  (Ps.  22:18;  Matt.  27:35;  Luke  23:34).  He  was  a 
prophet  like  Moses  (Deut.  18:18;  John  1:45).  He  was  a  preacher 
of  good  tidings  (Isa.  61:1,  2;  Luke  4:18,  19).  He  was  a  king’s 
Son  (Ps.  72:1-11;  Luke  1:32;  John  7:42).  He  was  Son  of  God 
(Ps.  2:7-12;  2  Sam.  7:14;  Luke  1:32;  John  10:33-39).  He  was 
oppressed,  killed  by  the  sins  of  His  people  (Isa.  50:6;  53:7-9),  and 
yet  He  did  not  remain  in  the  grave  (Isa.  53:10  compare  with  v.  9; 
Ps.  16:20;  Matt.  28).  He  is  to  come  in  the  clouds  (Dan.  7:13; 
Acts  1:11;  Mark  14:62).  He  is  to  have  a  Kingdom  and  rule  for 
ever  (Dan.  7:14,  27;  Eph.  1:20-23). 

§  14.  The  Jews  and  Messianic  Prophecy. 

1.  In  the  Time  of  Christ.  The  general  attitude  of  the  Jews 
after  the  close  of  the  Old  Testament  canon  was  backward-looking, 
legalistic,  rather  than  forward-looking  and  spiritual.  There  is  lit¬ 
tle  or  nothing  Messianic  in  the  books  between  the  close  of  the  Old 
and  the  opening  of  the  New  Testament.  They  looked  for  the  res¬ 
toration  of  the  kingdom  of  David,  of  a  political  rule,  for  an  out¬ 
ward  and  not  for  an  inward  and  spiritual  kingdom.  Sin  did  not 
much  stand  in  the  way  of  the  coming  of  the  kingdom  as  they  saw 
it.  “A  large  portion,  probably  the  great  majority  of  the  Jews  at 
the  time  of  Christ  cherished  no  Messianic  expectation  whatever” 
(John  A.  Broadus,  in  Sunday  School  Times  Jan.  5,  1883).  There 
were  the  so-called  Prosdechomenoi,  the  lookers  for  the  Messiah, 
such  as  Simeon  and  Anna  and  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  but  theirs  was 
a  longing  of  the  heart  rather  than  a  clear  and  consistent  appre¬ 
hension.  .  .  “The  principle  expectations  known  to  have  been  enter¬ 
tained  are  as  follows:  (a)  Messiah’s  coming  will  end  this  age  and 
introduce  the  age  to  come  (Heb.  6:5).  (b)  Messiah  will  have  a 

forerunner  in  Elijah  who  will  come  and  teach,  (c)  Messiah  will 
overthrow  the  opposing  Gentiles,  (d)  The  dead  will  rise  to  a  gen¬ 
eral  judgment,  after  which  the  wicked  will  go  into  Gehenna  and 
the  righteous  will  live  as  subjects  of  the  Messiah,  who,  with  His 
capital  at  Jerusalem,  will  reign  over  all  the  nations  and  for  ever.” 
— Broadus. 

There  was  wanting  in  the  idea  of  the  Jewish  Messiah,  (a) 
Spirituality,  (b)  self-renunciation,  (c)  Messiah’s  suffering  and 
atoning  death,  (d)  His  personal  resurrection  and  future  reign. 


32 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


2.  The  Vww  of  the  Modem  Orthodox  Jews,  (In  the  Yiddish 
tract  mentioned  above).  They  look  for  the  return  of  the  Jews  to 
Palestine;  the  coming  of  the  Messiah;  the  deliverance  from  their 
enemies;  the  reassembling  and  blessing  of  the  Jews  in  the  Holy 
Land  (Zech.  3:10,  “under  his  own  vine  and  figtree”). 

(a)  As  to  the  Return  to  Palestine,  they  base  their  expectation 
on  such  passages  as  Ezek.  20:40-42  and  Isa.  66:10-13  and  on  the 
promise  of  God  not  to  leave  them  in  galuth,  captivity  (Lev.  26: 
44).  They  claim  that  the  passage  in  Ezek.  11:16,  “I  will  be  to 
them  a  sanctuary  for  a  little  time,  in  the  countries  where  they  are 
come”  means  that  the  permanent  sanctuary  will  be  in  Jerusalem 
(Isa.  2:2-5;  Micah  4:1-5).  Isa.  2:5  is  joined  to  v.  4  and  trans¬ 
lated  “we  will  walk  etc.”  instead  of  “Come  let  us  walk  etc.”  To  the 
objection  that  the  prophets  are  often  poetic  and  use  symbolic  ex¬ 
pressions,  they  give  us  Deut.  32:8,  9;  30:4,  5,  and  claim  that  these 
passages  can  not  all  refer  to,  or  be  exhausted  in,  the  return  from 
the  Babylonian  captivity  under  Cyrus.  In  Isa.  11:11  the  words 
“again  a  second  time”  are  referred  to  a  later  captivity  than  the 
one  under  Cyrus  or  to  the  last  return  to  Palestine  (Am.  9:15; 
Ezek.  34:28;  36:12-16;  Jer.  31:40). 

(b)  The  Promised  Messiah.  The  Orthodox  Jews  hold  that  He 
is  promised  in  Gen.  49:10  and  in  greater  detail  in  the  later  proph¬ 
ets,  as  in  Isa.  11:1;  32:1;  49:6-8;  Micah  5:1;  Jer.  23:5,  6).  In 
opposition  to  the  Liberal  Jews,  who  hold  that  the  Messiah  is  the 
spirit  of  freedom  and  of  service  of  the  true  God,  the  Orthodox  hold 
that  He  is  a  real  man.  They  point  to  Isa.  11:1,  “Out  of  the  stock 
of  Jesse";  32:2,  “And  a  man  shall  be  as  a  hiding  place”;  Jer.  23: 
5  “reign  as  king”  (33:15,  16);  Zech.  6:12-15,  “the  man  whose 
name  is  branch,”  “shall  sit  and  rule.” 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  many  false  Messiahs  have  arisen,  this 
statement  is  attributed,  in  the  tract,  by  the  Rabbi  who  therein  is 
the  orthodox  champion;  “We  believe  that  when  the  Messiah  will 
come  He  will  unfold  such  a  might  and  fame  that  every  one  will  be 
convinced  that  he  is  the  Messiah  and  if  any  one  could  have  a  just 
doubt  of  His  personality,  this  is  already  a  proof  that  He  is  not  the 
true  Messiah.”  He  will  unfold  His  might  by  (a)  gathering  scat¬ 
tered  Israel  to-gether,  (b)  by  conquering  our  enemies,  (c)  by 
bringing  us  to  Palestine  and  setting  up  a  kingdom  there,  and  (d) 
by  raising  the  dead  (Hos.  13:14;  Isa.  26:19;  Ezek.  37:12,  13).” 
“The  Jews  will  be  gathered  by  the  help  of  the  nations  (Isa.  60:9; 
49:22;  66:20).” 


INTRODUCTION 


33 


The  tract,  which  is  written  for  the  conversion  of  the  Jews, 
points  out  some  of  the  difficulties  in  the  Orthodox  Jewish  view.  If 
the  gathering  of  the  Jews  to  Palestine  is  to  be  a  proof  of  the  true 
Messiah,  and  an  evidence  for  believing  in  Him,  the  question  forces 
itself  on  one,  Whom  will  He  lead  back  to  make  this  proof?  Will 
any  one  trust  Him  to  follow  Him  there  before  He  has  lead  any 
back?  Besides  the  bringing  back  of  a  sufficiently  large  number  to 
constitute  a  proof  would  be  a  slow  process  and  last  beyond  the 
ordinary  life  time,  hence  few  can  believe  in  Him  so  that  he  may 
lead  them  back  and  prove  His  Messiahship.  Is  Dr.  Herzl  the  Mes¬ 
siah  in  that  he  leads  the  Zionist  Movement  by  the  help  and  sympa¬ 
thy  of  the  nations? 

Because  of  this  difficulty,  it  is  held  that  the  raising  of  the  dead 
must  precede  the  colonization  of  the  Holy  Land  with  the  Jews.  But 
it  is  not  agreed  whether  this  is  the  raising  of  individuals  or  of  the 
nation  by  the  appearance  and  teaching  of  Elijah  as  His  forerunner 
(Mai.  4:5).  But  then  there  have  also  been  false  Elijahs  and  the 
difficulty  of  the  Orthodox  Jew  is  not  removed. 

3.  The  View  of  the  Liberal  Modem  Jews.  To  these  “a  per¬ 
sonal  Messiah  is  nonsense  and  superstition,  a  relic  of  ignorant  an¬ 
tiquity.”  According  to  Dr.  Hirsch,  “Judaism  is  only  a  religion  of 
high  moral  teaching.”  Its  ceremonies  are  not  suited  to  our  day. 
Its  mission  is  world-wide:  to  teach  all  peoples  the  knowledge  of 
the  true  God.  Much  of  the  Old  Testament  is  myth  and  legend,  and 
the  Jews  have  no  right  to  expect  the  miracle  of  a  personal  Mes¬ 
siah — King,  or  the  raising  of  the  dead  or  the  reassembling  of  the 
Jews  in  Palestine. 

The  Liberals  claim  that  the  Orthodox  have  no  satisfying  ex¬ 
planation  of  the  Messianic  passages  in  the  O.  T.  For  example, 
their  claim  that  the  “shaking”  in  Haggai  2:6-9  was  meant  to  come 
during  the  existence  of  the  second  temple.  The  temple  is  no  more 
and  yet  no  Messiah  came.  Micah  5:2,  and  2  Sam.  7:14-16  as  also 
Jer.  23:5,  6  state  that  the  Messiah  is  to  be  of  the  line  of  David 
when  the  genealogy  of  all  tribes  and  families  is  long  forgotten. 
Isa.  53  calls  for  a  suffering  Messiah.  The  Liberals  claim  that  such 
passages  drove  the  old  Rabbis  into  a  corner  and  made  them  set  up 
such  remarkable  theories  as  that  there  must  be  two  Messiahs,  the 
first  the  son  of  Joseph  (the  tribe),  a  sufferer,  the  second  a  son  of 
David,  a  king,  and  the  true  Messiah.  They  claim  that  the  learned 
Jews  were  in  fact  thus  driven  by  the  Christians  so  that  there  are 

2 


34 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


now  many  non-Messianic  interpretations  of  passages  which  were 
anciently  applied  to  the  Messiah,  “for  these  passages  do  point  to 
Jesus  Christ,”  So  Rabbi  ben  Jarchi :  “who  in  his  Explanations  of 
the  Psalms  and  Prophecies,  says,  ‘Certain  passages  used  to  be  ap¬ 
plied  by  the  ancients  to  the  Messiah,  but  since  our  opponents  use 
these,  it  is  safer  to  apply  them  to  David  himself,  or  to  Hezekiah 
(e.  g.  Isa.  7:14).”  Rabbi  Moses  Gaster  says  in  an  address,  “The 
only  Messianic  passage  is  that  of  the  star  in  Num.  24:17”  and  ig¬ 
nores  Gen.  49:10  and  Deut.  18:18,  and  believes  that  the  Messiah 
will  be  an  ordinary,  powerful  king.  Rabbi  Kohler  in  the  Jewish 
Congress  of  Chicago  at  the  time  of  the  Chicago  Fair  praised  Jesus, 
and  Mary  Magdalene  as  His  first  witness.  Rabbi  Levi  of  Pitts¬ 
burgh,  Pa.  said,  “I  have  a  bad  opinion  of  those  who  see  nothing  to 
marvel  at  in  Jesus.”  Professor  Lazarus:  “We  must  claim  Jesus 
for  Judaism.”  Rabbi  Adler:  “If  we  take  Jesus  as  the  Messiah, 
then  Isa.  53  becomes  a  true  picture  of  Jesus  Christ.”  Rabbi  Lef- 
kowitz,  formerly  of  Dayton,  Ohio,  is  reported  to  have  said:  “If 
there  is  a  personal  Messiah  it  is  Jesus.” 

If  the  Liberal  Jews  regard  Jesus  as  so  great  and  good  a  man, 
then  what  He  said  of  Himself  must  be  trustworthy.  But  He  said 
that:  He  was  the  expected  Messiah  and  King  of  the  Jews  (Matt. 
27:11)  and  Son  of  God  (Matt.  26:63,  64;  27:43;  John  5:17,  18; 
10:30-37).  He  said  that  He  would  come  again  etc.  (John  14.3), 
and  that  His  disciples  shall  sit  upon  twelve  thrones  (Matt.  19:28). 
But  in  spite  of  such  conclusive  logic  against  them,  the  Liberal  Jews 
regard  these  sayings  as  follies  (Dummheiten) . 

§  15.  The  History  of  Messianic  Prophecy. 

The  early  Church,  down  to  the  Reformation,  made  no  differ¬ 
ence  between  the  Old  Testament  and  the  New.  So  the  Kohlbrueg- 
gians  in  our  Northwest  still  disregard  the  distinction.  The  early 
church  fathers  lacked  the  necessary  knowledge  of  the  Hebrew  lan¬ 
guage,  the  historic  sense,  and  used  the  allegorical  method  of  inter¬ 
pretation.  This  method  is  not  justified  by  1  Cor.  10:4  and  Gal.  4: 
21,  for  an  original  writer  has  privileges  to  use  illustrations  for  his 
thoughts  that  are  not  exegesis.  The  Antiochian  Theodore  of  Mop- 
suesta  was  opposed  to  this  method  but  Justin  Martyr,  Origen  and 
Augustine  used  it  and  made  much  of  prediction. 

After  the  time  of  the  persecutions,  the  O.  T.  fulfilment  was  not 
so  eagerly  looked  for,  but  the  0.  T.  was  spiritualized.  They  saw 
the  N.  T.  too  mechanically  in  the  O.  T.,  and  disregarded  1  Pet.  1:19. 


INTRODUCTION 


35 


The  Reformers  also  were  too  anxious  to  get  the  N.  T.  out  of 
the  O.  T.  The  study  of  the  original  languages  taught  them  that 
there  was  originally  but  one  meaning  to  a  passage.  Zwingli  saw 
that  prophecy  rises  out  of  the  historic  ground  (Orelli  p.  66).  “Cal¬ 
vin’s  first  effort  was  to  discover  the  sense  which  the  author  himself 
gave  to  his  words”  and  did  not  get  it  from  the  N.  T.  (Orelli,  page 
67).  Meritorious  were  the  Netherlander,  Grotius,  and  Coccean 
and  greatest  of  all  Vitringa. 

“Rationlism  tried  to  make  the  Old  Testament  and  the  New 
Testament  contradict  each  other,  and  denied  miracles.  Hengsten- 
berg  holds  to  eternally-valid  truths  and  laws  of  the  Kingdom  of 
God  (In  his  Christology) .  Hof  man  emphasizes  too  much  the  his¬ 
toric  feature  of  prophecy,  as  if  the  latter  were  but  the  former  in 
other  words,  more  works  in  the  one,  more  words  in  the  other. 
Riehm  makes  prophecy  too  much  a  dialectic  reflection  on  the  fun¬ 
damental  ideas  of  the  Old  Testament  religion”  (Orelli  p.  72,  73). 

Literature. 

Orelli,  Old  Testament  Prophecy,  T.  &  T.  Clark,  Edebburgh,  1892. 
Briggs,  Messianic  Prophecy,  Scribners,  New  York,  1886. 

Davidson,  A.  B.,  Old  Testament  Prophecy,  T.  &  T.  Clark,  1905. 
Delitsch,  Franz,  Messianische  Weissagungen,  Leipzig,  1890. 
Delitsch,  Franz,  Messianic  Prophecy,  T.  &  T.  Clark,  Sscribners, 
1891. 

Gloag,  Messianic  Prophecy,  T.  &  T.  Clark,  1879,  New  York,  1885. 

Beecher,  J.  Willis,  The  Prophets  and  the  Promise,  Crowell,  N.  Y., 
1905. 

Urquhart,  What  Shall  We  Believe,  Revell,  N.  Y.  No  date. 

Lev.  (Jewish  Christian).  Messianic  Prophecy,  Philadelphia,  1917. 
Greenstone,  Messiah  Idea  in  Jewish  History,  Jewish  Pub.  Soc.,  1906. 
Sellin,  Der  Alttestamentliche  Prophetismus,  Leipzig,  1912. 


36 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


CHAPTER  TWO. 

THE  PREMOSAIC  AGE. 

Genesis.  In  Genesis  we  have  expressed  the  aim  of  history,  a 
goal  for  Israel  that  is  outside  of  and  above  Israel.  Here  the  divine 
word  accompanies  and  precedes  the  events  of  history.  “Let  there 
be  and  there  was.”  God  speaks  to  His  people  and  then  carries  out 
what  He  spoke  (6:3  etc.),  so  that  man  may  know  the  significance 
of  the  event  when  it  comes  to  pass  (John  13:19;  14:29).  First, 
God  himself  spoke  personally  or  through  an  angel  when  something 
new  was  to  transpire.  Secondly,  the  father  transmitted  the  heir¬ 
loom  of  revelation  already  in  possession  to  his  sons,  as  in  the  case 
of  the  patriarchal  blessing  or  curse.  (Orelli,  p.  77.  A.  B.  David¬ 
son,  3-5). 

N.  B.  The  following  notes  should  be  read  with  Bible  in  hand. 

§  16.  Gen.  1:26-30.  Creation  and  Destiny  of  Man. 

1.  In  the  Image  of  God  and  for  Likeness  with  Him.  The  image 
is  in  personality,  that  is,  self-determination,  for  God  is  love  and 
love  must  be  of  free  choice.  Free  choice  demands  an  intellect  to 
present  the  alternatives,  love,  the  emotion,  and  will,  to  choose. 
Tselem,  shadow,  seems  to  indicate  the  fundamental  outline  and 
Demuth,  the  likeness.  In  Isa.  40:25  God  says,  “To  whom  will  ye 
liken  (damah)  me  that  I  should  be  equal  to  him.”  Here  God  is 
a  divinity  but  not  like  other  divinities.  It  is  the  content  in  which 
He  differs.  Demuth,  then,  seems  to  denote  that  to  which  man  at¬ 
tains  in  the  course  of  history,  in  the  process  of  his  development. 
We  are  the  same  image  as  Jesus  is  but  will  be  like  Him  only  in 
the  future  (1  John  3:1-3;  Rom.  8:29;  Eph.  4:13;  Phil.  3:21;  Col. 
3:10  etc.) . 

2.  Fellowship)  with  God.  1  Cor.  1:9;  1  John  1:3).  Because 
God  is  love  (1  John  4:8)  He  wants  fellowship.  Love  gives  love 
(John  3:16)  and  looks  for  love  in  return.  God  is  not  merely  the 
absolute  One,  the  cold  and  distant  One,  but  is  trinity  and  love. 
There  is  a  Son,  the  second  person  of  the  trinity  and  it  is  this  sec- 


THE  PREMOSAIC  AGE 


37 


ond  Person  out  of  whom,  through  whom,  and  unto  whom  the  world 
was  made  (John  1:3;  Rom.  11:36;  Col.  1:16,  17). 

3.  World  Ruler  ship  (Ps.  8).  Likeness  with  God,  self-deter¬ 
mination,  gives  man  the  capacity  for  world  dominion.  Fellowship 
with  God  determines  the  manner  and  reason  for  his  rule  over  the 
creation  of  God.  To  attain  world-dominion  demands,  (a)  Multi¬ 
plication,  “Be  ye  fruitful  etc.,  (b)  culture,  that  is  personal  devel¬ 
opment  and  group  development,  attained  in  the  work  of  dominion 
as  well  as  the  reward  for  the  work. 

The  goal  of  man’s  demuth,  likeness  with  God,  is  thus  at¬ 
tained  and  his  relation  to  his  fellowmen  in  organization  is  realized. 
Image  (tselem)  is  thus  all  that  man  is,  above  the  level  of  the 
beast.  Species  (min)  is  characteristic  of  the  animal,  all  of  the 
species  are  the  same  pattern.  Likeness  (demuth)  fills  in  the  im¬ 
age  or  frame.  Gen.  1  leads  up  to  man  as  tselem,  the  end  of  crea¬ 
tion.  Gen.  2  begins  the  development,  reaching  to  the  demuth  as 
it  is  in  Christ  and  the  perfected  man.  Of  the  race  of  man  as  he  is 
to  be  at  his  highest,  Christ  is  the  Head  (1  Cor.  15:45-49;  A.  B. 
Davidson  chp.  1). 

In  Gen.  2:7  we  have  the  postulate  of  man’s  history,  develop¬ 
ment  and  dominion,  in  the  breath  inbreathed  by  God.  By  means  of 
this,  man  strives  to  and  overcomes  nature  in  himself  and  in  the 
world  outside  of  him,  and  so  rises  to  the  level  of  the  source  of  the 
stream  divine,  the  goal  of  his  strivings. 

§  17.  Gen.  3:14-16.  The  Protevangelium. 

1.  The  Temptation  and  the  Fall.  The  serpent  is  addressed  as 
a  person,  and  is  thus  Satan  (2  Cor.  11:3;  Rev.  12:9).  The  serpent 
is  a  true  symbol  of  sin,  crawling,  moving  in  water,  on  the  land  and 
on  trees.  It  slips  in  unobserved.  Whether  literal  or  figurative,  the 
temptation  is  from  outside  the  man  himself  and  so  leaves  him  sal- 
vable.  Literalness  is  not  so  very  inconceivable  when  we  consider 
that  man  had  no  previous  experience  in  using  concepts  of  material 
things  to  express,  figuratively,  concepts  of  mental  and  spiritual 
things.  The  story  is  true  to  psychology. 

2.  The  Way  to  the  Goal.  The  goal  in  God  was  now  no  longer 
fixed  in  man’s  mind  and  the  way  to  it  was  made  difficult  to  find  and 
reach. 

a)  Man’s  Self  as  Goal.  Instead  of  God  as  the  supreme  object 
of  love  and  the  goal  of  attainment,  man  now  set  himself  up  as  the 


38 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


end  of  his  existence  and  strivings.  This  put  man  in  conflict  with 
himself,  with  the  end  for  which  he  had  been  created,  the  lower 
dominating  or  trying  to  dominate  the  higher,  the  divine.  Man  be¬ 
came  carnal. 

b)  The  Divine  Goal.  The  God-fixed  goal  of  1:27  remained,  but 
the  way  to  it  was  made  by  struggle  and  with  pain.  Victory  over 
nature  came  now,  if  at  all,  with  labor  and  sorrow.  Man,  in  the 
past  times,  has  largely,  unless  moved  by  God,  overcome  nature  for 
himself  and  not  for  God  and  his  fellowmen.  Woman  gave  birth 
with  sorrow  and  man  labored  with  pain,  the  conditions  were  un¬ 
favorable  and  the  reward  insufficient. 

c)  The  Punitive  Word.  God’s  word  now  causes  a  curse  instead 
of  a  blessing,  thorns,  etc.,  because  of  man’s  sin.  The  spirit  of  God 
that  brooded  over  matter  and  made  nature,  now,  that  he  had  been 
sinned  against,  brought  forth  weeds.  Nature  was  deranged  (Isa. 
11;  Rom.  8:19-22).  The  promise  is  that  Satan  also  shall  be  over¬ 
come  and  crushed.  He  has  no  seed  and  so  himself  is  crushed.  The 
“thou”  is  both  the  serpent  and  Satan  whom  she  embodies. 

d)  The  Victory.  This  is  promised  to  mankind  as  is  indicated 
by  the  word  seed,  but  there  is  not  yet  a  personal  Christ.  The 
words  for  “he”  (hu’)  and  “seed”  (zera)  seem  to  be  used  as  collec¬ 
tives,  running  into  unity.  “Not,  And  to  seeds,  as  of  many;  but  as 
of  one”  (Gal.  3:16). 

e)  The  Fulfilment.  Jesus  came  as  the  Son  of  man,  the  sum¬ 
ming  up  of  the  race  into  One. 

Note.  The  serpent  going  on  its  belly  became  the  symbol  of  the 
grovelling  nature  of  sin  (John  8:44),  a  liar  (Gen.  3:4),  the  great 
negator.  “Ich  bin  der  Geist  der  stets  verneint.”  Christ  destroys 
the  works  of  the  devil  (1  John  3:8;  Heb.  2:14,  15).  Christ  deliv¬ 
ers  from  the  fear  of  death  and  of  Satan.  He  despoiled  Satan  (Col. 
2:15).  The  creature  is  in  bondage  because  of  sin  and  will  be  set 
free  at  the  consummation  of  Christ’s  work  (Rom.  8:19-23).  Satan 
is  the  deceiver-serpent  cast  down  to  earth  (Rev.  12:9),  and  later 
bound  for  a  thousand  and  years  (Rev.  20:2).  Christ  will  have  full 
victory  over  sin  and  death  (1  Cor.  15:54). 

§  18.  Gen.  5:29.  The  Expected  Comforter  (Gen.  3:15,  16). 

1.  The  Felt  Bivrden.  The  load  of  sin  and  the  curse  on  man’s 
work,  bad  conditions  and  insufficient  return,  began  to  be  felt  by  the 
race,  and  wras  expressed  by  the  more  thoughtful,  and  the  pious  be- 


THE  PREMOSAIC  AGE 


39 


gan  to  look  for  the  relief  promised  in  3:16.  They  even  attached 
the  consolation  to  a  person  and  looked  for  one  who  would  bring 
them  rest,  menucha,  and  hence  called  him  Noah.  The  burden  of 
sin  pressed  this  hope  home  on  despairing  hearts. 

2.  Jehovah  as  Comforter.  Just  how  Lamech  thought  that  his 
son  Noah  would  comfort  him  is  not  said,  but  comfort  comes  from 
Jehovah  (Isa.  49:13;  52:9;  61:2). 

3.  The  Fulfilment.  This  longing  was  met  by  Jehovah  along  the 
line  of  history,  but  especially  in  Christ,  the  one  Comforter,  and  in 
the  Holy  Spirit  as  the  other  (John  14:16;  Matt.  11:28-30).  Man 
was  burdened  by  sin  and  turned  to  God’s  promise  in  3:16. 

§  19.  Gen.  8:20-22.  The  Stability  of  the  Earth  Promised. 

1.  The  Stage  of  Action.  If  man  was  to  develop  to  God-like¬ 
ness,  there  must  be  a  scene  of  action.  This  is  the  earth,  and  it 
must  abide  until  this  work  is  done,  till  God  has  realized  His  pur¬ 
pose  with  man  (Gen.  1:27).  The  continuation  of  the  natural  or¬ 
der  of  things  is  not  a  physical  necessity,  but  the  gift  of  divine 
grace.  God’s  relation  to  nature  is  ethical,  having  a  holy  purpose. 
So  also  is  man’s  relation  to  nature,  ethical.  Nature  is  to  aid  in 
man’s  moral  development  and  union  with  God.  The  world  is  the 
theater  of  man’s  actions.  Compare  Palestine  as  the  scene  of  Is¬ 
raelite  history  and  the  earth  as  that  of  the  race. 

2.  The  New  Testament  View.  God’s  church  is  gathered  from 
everywhere  (Acts  17:30).  Nature  is  God’s  channel  through  which 
He  blesses  His  people  (Acts  14:17). 

§  20.  Gen.  9:24-27.  The  Blessing  of  Shem. 

1.  The  Historic  Setting.  After  the  Flood,  the  race  begins  anew 
in  Noah,  and  so  Gen.  1:28  is  repeated  in  9:1.  In  9:9  God  makes 
a  covenant  (berith)  with  Noah  and  his  posterity,  “for  perpetual 
generations”  (9:12).  These  generations  include  the  whole  race, 
all  nations  classified  and  enumerated  in  Gen.  10  (10:32). 

2.  The  Nature  of  this  Berith  (covenant).  A  covenant  here  is 
not  God  and  man  bargaining  on  terms  of  equality,  but  a  conditioned 
arrangement  where  God  fixes  the  conditions  which  are  at  the  same 
time  the  way  to  get  the  blessings  implied  in  the  covenant.  It  is 
God’s  gracious  institution  and  man  is  the  recipient.  This  Noah- 
covenant  pledges  permanence  of  the  earth  and  nature  (8:21),  which 
is  the  prerequisite  of  all  knowledge  and  life.  The  permanence  of 


40 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


nature  is  the  symbol  of  an  unchanging  God  who  will  always  be  the 
same,  and  so  can  be  known  and  trusted. 

3.  The  Curse  of  Canaan ,  Servitude. 

a)  Canaan  Himself.  Canaan  the  Hamite  was  cursed  with 
servitude  (9:25).  It  was  not  Canaan  who  had  disgraced  himself 
but  Ham,  who  is  here  somehow  cursed  in  his  son,  Canaan,  while 
he  and  his  other  sons  are  passed  by.  Canaan  means  low,  perhaps 
mean. 

b)  Noah’s  Blessing.  The  father,  blessed  with  superhuman  in¬ 
sight,  unfolds  the  future  of  his  three  sons.  The  lot  of  Canaan  is 
not  a  curse  in  the  sense  that  Noah  brought  it  on,  or  wished  it.  It 
is  the  announcement  of  what  will  follow  from  such  a  nature  and 
such  conduct.  Human  qualities  here  differentiate  the  sons  of  Noah. 
The  vice  of  fleshliness  is  seen  in  Ham;  piety  in  Shem,  while 
Japheth  spreads  out,  borrows  Shem’s  religion  and  follows  his  initi¬ 
ative. 

c)  The  Canaanites.  His,  Canaan’s  brethren  are  here  Shem  and 
Japheth,  not  Cush,  Put  etc.  as  in  Gen.  10:6.  Canaan  and  not  Ham 
was  meant  because  this  branch  was  nearest  the  Semites.  If  Nim¬ 
rod  was  a  Hamite  he  was  an  exception,  for  he  was  not  a  servant 
(Gen.  10:8-11).  The  Phoenecians  were  Canaanites  and  were  cruel 
and  licentious.  See  Phoenicians  in  Rhiem  HWB  and  Orelli  Reli- 
gions-Geschichte.  They  were  a  servile  people  and  Israel  took  their 
land.  Carthage  fell  before  the  Romans  (Japhites).  The  Negroes 
have  Ham’s  character  in  exaggerated  form,  hence  are  slaves,  but 
this  is  no  excuse  for  enslaving  them.  Canaan  was  a  servant  to 
Shem  (Gen.  9:26). 

4.  Shem  and  the  Indwelling  God.  Gen.  9:26.  Shem  gets  the 
blessing,  but  it  says  not,  “Blessed  be  Shem,”  but  “Blessed  be  Jeho¬ 
vah,  the  God  of  Shem,”  that  is  God  is  praised  for  greatly  blessing 
Shem.  It  is  not  man  but  God  that  is  praised.  Matt.  5:16:  “That 
men  may  see  your  good  works  and  glorify  your  father.”  So  Abra¬ 
ham  is  nothing  in  the  Bible  and  God  every  thing,  while  in  tradition 
he  is  every  thing  and  God  is  nothing.  Shem  is  blessed  in  having 
such  a  God.  Jehovah  is  God  of  Shem.  Here  occurs  for  the  first 
time  the  expression,  “God  of  etc.”  We  have  here  Jehovah  in  close 
fellowship  with  man  and  so  Jehovah  and  not  Elohim,  Jehovah  the 
covenant  God.  Elohim,  the  name  for  God,  comes  from  ’alah,  to  fear 
and  so  Elohim  indicates  awe-inspiring,  due  to  His  might  and  full- 


THE  PREMOSAIC  AGE 


41 


ness  of  attributes.  Jehovah  indicates  the  self-revealed  God,  that 
is,  to  a  special  people  in  a  special  relation  of  redemption  and  life. 

Monothism  was  less  distinctive  of  Israel  than  the  high  moral 
concept  of  God,  expressed  in  the  word  Holy,  for  there  are  other 
religions  that  had  the  idea  of  one  God,  either  in  the  forefront  of 
their  thinking  as  Mohammedanism  or  in  the  back  of  their  minds 
as  the  African  tribes  and  the  Greeks  and  Romans.  The  three  great 
decidedly  monotheistic  religious  sprung  from  Shem.  Canaan’s 
curse  furnishes  the  dark  background  for  this  Shemitic  glory,  the 
oracles  of  God  being  given  to  them  (Rom.  3:2). 

5.  Japheth ,  Gen.  9:27.  Japheth,  from  the  root  pathah,  means 
to  be  wide.  There  is  here  a  play  on  words,  japth  Japheth,  let  him 
enlarge  Japheth.  Hence  Japheth  means  also  prosperous,  be  in  the 
wide  world,  have  renoun  and  conquest,  in  intellectual  and  material 
things,  be  the  depository  of  material  civilization.  But  it  is  God 
who  enlarges  him.  This  has  become  an  historical  fact.  Cyrus,  a 
Japhite,  began  organized  government  as  overagainst  Semitic  gov¬ 
ernment  by  personal  power,  in  which  case  the  kingdom  was  held 
together  by  force  externally  applied.  In  the  latter  case  the  king¬ 
dom  went  to  pieces  at  the  death  of  the  monarch,  in  the  former  it 
lived  on  and  grew.  The  Greeks  developed  nature  and  human  life 
but  in  a  worldly  way.  The  Romans  made  law,  and  by  organized 
force  made  conquest.  So  the  Japhite,  the  occidental,  the  Indo- 
European,  had  wide  dominion  as  here  promised. 

6.  In  the  Tents  of  Shem,  Gen.  9:27b.  Wayyishkon,  ’ohele 
shem,  and  let  him  dwell  in  the  tents  of  Shem,  may  mean,  Let  God 
or  let  Japheth  so  dwell.  Both  possibilities  are  in  accord  with  later 
history. 

a)  If  Japheth,  then  it  means  that  Japheth  shall  enjoy  the  fel¬ 
lowship  of  God  through  Shem  and  inherit  the  religion  of  Shem. 
Japhites  never  originated  a  religion,  but  in  the  form  of  Christian¬ 
ity,  Judaism  shares  its  religion  with  the  Indo-Europeans. 

b)  If  God  is  the  subject  of  the  word  “dwell,”  then  it  sets  forth 
the  fundamental  fact  of  the  indwelling  of  God,  first  here  in  the 
tents  of  Shem,  later  in  Israel  (Ex.  25:8;  29:45;  Lev.  26:12;  Num. 
5:3;  Deut.  12:11;  Ezek.  43:5).  Hence  we  have  the  Immanuel  idea, 
the  name  and  fact  of  “God-with-us”  (Isa.  7:14;  Matt.  1:23).  In 
Jesus  dwelt  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily  (Col.  2:9;  John  1: 
14).  In  Rev.  21:3  the  whole  church  is  the  dwelling  place  of  God. 


42 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


Note.  Some  take  the  word  Shem  in  the  ordinary  sense  of 
name  or  fame  and  so  translate,  tents  of  renown.  This  is  hardly 
correct,  nor  is  it  true  that  Israel  invented  this  oracle.  It  is  of  God 
as  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  it  is  woven  into  history  far  beyond 
the  reach  of  Israel.  It  is  the  divine  element  coming  into  history. 

§  21.  The  Blessings  of  the  Patriarchs.  From  Gen.  12  on. 

Note.  The  Messianic  blessing  which  culminates  in  the  Person 
of  the  Redeemer-King  is  promised  first  to  the  race  as  a  whole  (Gen. 
3:16),  then  to  the  Shemites,  one  of  the  three  great  divisions  of  the 
race  (Gen.  9:27).  The  promise  is  here  restricted  to  the  family  of 
Abraham.  “In  thee  shall  all  the  families  of  the  earth  be  blessed.” 

1.  Abraham.  He  is  the  founder  of  the  Chosen  race. 

a)  His  Spiritual  Significance.  This  is  his  faith  and  trust  in 
God.  He  is  the  recipient  of  distinct  revelation.  God  spoke  to 
him.  Perhaps  God  manifested  Himself  visibly  to  Abraham.  There 
were  at  least  angelic  manifestations  in  the  realm  of  human  cog¬ 
nition  and  “the  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  to  him.”  He  re¬ 
ceived  these  revelations  because  he  treated  God  as  God,  his  soul 
was  sensitized,  attuned  to  God.  In  Abraham,  revelation  made  a 
distinct  advance  and  in  Israel  this  quality  of  receptivity  was  cul¬ 
tivated  by  divine  discipline. 

b)  The  Three  Elements  of  the  Promise.  Gen.  12:1-3,  7. 

(1)  The  Land.  (12:1,  7).  The  land  was  the  gift  of  God  and 
a  channel  through  which  the  blessing  was  to  come  (Lev.  25:23). 
It  was  God’s  home  (Num.  35:34)  and  the  theater  of  Israel’s  growth 
and  action,  especially  for  their  later  influence  on  the  world,  for  it 
is  centrally  located  (Ezek.  5:5)  and  perfect  (Ezek.  16:14).  This 
can  be  seen  when  its  geographic  location  is  studied.  To  occupy  this 
land,  Abraham  was  separated  from  his  native  land  and  from  his 
kindred. 

(2)  Head  of  the  Chosen  Nation.  (12:2a).  He  was  made  the 
head  of  a  chosen  nation  although  he  was  75  and  Sarah  65  years  of 
age  (12:4;  17:1,  17)  and  as  good  as  dead  (Heb.  11:11,  12).  God 
was  aiming  at  fellowship  with  man,  not  with  man  as  an  atom,  but 
as  an  organism.  Hence  He  first  built  up  a  chosen  family,  organ¬ 
ized  and  unified,  in  and  through  which  He  could  come  into  and  live 
with  the  race  (Ex.  25:8).  By  constant  discipline  He  could  keep 
these  from  falling  into  too  deep  sin.  Thus  He  kept  them  near  and 


THE  PREMOSAIC  AGE 


43 


sensitized,  to  receive  His  revelation  and  raise  up  from  their  num¬ 
ber  media  for  further  progressive  revelation. 

(3)  Abraham  and  the  World  Blessing.  (12:2c,  3).  The  He¬ 
brew  word  hayeh,  is  the  usual  imperative,  though  under  conditions 
it  is  translated  as  a  future.  There  is  hardly  a  question  but  that  it 
should  read,  “Be  thou  a  blessing.”  To  this  duty,  the  two  privileges 
the  land  and  the  family,  are  the  means.  He  got  them  in  order  that 
he  might  be  a  blessing.  God’s  treatment  of  His  people  and  of  man¬ 
kind  depends  on  their  relation  to  Abraham,  the  chosen  of  God,  and 
so  this  is  the  beginning  of  the  blessings  to  come  in  Christ  (Deut. 
32:8).  There  is  a  question  whether  nibreku  is  passive  or  reflexive, 
either  being  possible.  If  it  is  reflexive  then  Abraham  is  the  meas¬ 
ure  of  the  divine  blessings  the  nations  wish  on  themselves.  They 
bless  themselves  in  Abraham.  “May  God  bless  us  as  is  Abraham.” 
This  seems  expressed  in  Gen.  22:18;  26:4,  by  the  usual  reflexive 
form.  The  passive  is  the  more  common  use  of  the  verbal  form 
used  here  and  is  most  likely  the  meaning,  namely  that  Abraham  is 
the  means  of  blessing  to  all. 

c)  The  Promise  Enlarged  and  Ratified ,  Gen.  13:14-18.  When 
by  his  liberality,  Abraham  had  given  Lot  the  choice  and  Lot  had 
greedily  taken  the  best,  God  confirmed  His  promise  of  the  land  and 
let  Abraham  step  it  off  (13:14,  15,  17),  and  though  Lot,  in  whom 
Abraham  had  thought  God  would  increase  his  people,  had  shown 
himself  unworthy  and  unacceptable,  and  was  hence  eliminated,  yet 
God  insisted  that  He  would  make  Abraham’s  seed  many.  He  en¬ 
larged  here  on  12:2  (13:15).  The  word  seed  is  either  collective  or 
singular,  not  any  one,  but  if  one  it  will  be  the  seed  of  Abraham. 

d)  An  Own  Son  Promised  mid  the  Land  Assured.  Gen.  15:4, 
5,  7,  16.  After  Abraham  had  lavishly  risked  his  all  against  the 
kings  (Gen.  14)  and  exposed  himself  to  their  attack,  God  assures 
him  that  He  will  be  his  shield  (15:1),  and  for  the  loss  of  booty 
(14:21-23),  He  will  be  his  exceeding  great  reward,  or  his  reward 
will  be  exceeding  great.  This  brings  to  Abraham’s  mind  the  ques¬ 
tion  of  an  heir,  for  which  Abraham  had  in  a  manner  fixed  on  Elie- 
zer.  Against  this,  God  says,  an  own  son  of  Abraham  will  be  his 
heir  with  many  descendents  (15:3-5;  cp.  13:14-18).  As  for  the 
land,  God  will  give  it  to  him  in  his  posterity,  it  shall  be  his  though 
not  in  person.  This  will  be  after  their  exile  and  suffering,  when 
the  cup  of  the  iniquity  of  the  Amorite  will  be  full  (15:16).  Even 
the  borders  and  present  inhabitants  are  specified  in  the  promise. 


44 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


The  borders  are  of  the  widest  extent.  To  the  question  in  v.  8  is 
given  the  oath  in  15:9-17  and  18-21. 

e)  The  Covenant  Confirmed  by  Circumcision,  Gen.  17:1-14.  Up 
to  this  time  it  was  the  divine  side  of  the  covenant  that  we  saw 
stressed.  It  was  what  God  did  and  was  going  to  do.  Here  we 
come  to  the  human  side,  the  conditions  on  man’s  part,  obedience 
and  surrender.  ‘‘Walk  before  me  and  be  thou  perfect”  (v.  1)  “And 
as  for  thee,  thou  shalt  keep  my  covenant,  thou  and  thy  seed  after 
thee”  (v.  9).  Compare  “As  for  me”  (v.  4).  This  human  side  was 
symbolized  by  circumcision,  the  sign  of  the  covenant,  the  cutting 
away  of  the  “flesh.”  As  baptism  is  the  dying  to  the  old  (Rom.  6: 
4)  so  circumcision  was  the  putting  off  of  the  old,  the  self-life. 
They  were  not  to  obey,  nor  have  confidence  in,  the  flesh  (Deut.  30: 
6;  10:16;  Jer.  4:4;  Phil.  3:3;  Col.  3:3,  9,  10;  Col.  2:11).  When 
man  receives  the  covenant  into  his  life  it  receives  a  new  confirma¬ 
tion  for  it  now  becomes  the  essence  of  his  life. 

f)  The  Promise  and  Covenant  as  Divine  Motive.  Gen.  18:18, 
19.  God’s  relation  to  man,  His  chosen,  is  the  mainspring  of  his¬ 
tory.  This  relation  and  promise  move  God  to  do  what  He  does 
(18:17).  God’s  promise  makes  Abraham  the  priest  of  the  nations, 
and  the  world  his  parish  and  congregation.  But  in  this,  God  makes 
the  initiative  (18:18  R.  V.).  It  is  God’s  choice  that  makes  Abra¬ 
ham  what  he  is  to  be  (Deut.  32:8).  History  revolves  around  the 
Church  and  all  around  Christ  the  Head  of  the  Church  (Hence 
dates  B.C.  and  A.D.).  Relation  to  Christ  determines  the  destiny 
of  nations  as  it  does  of  individuals. 

g)  The  Promise  Confirmed  with  an  Oath.  Gen.  22:15-18.  This 
confirmation  with  an  oath  is  based  on  Abraham’s  obedience  (22: 
16  b),  which  was  demanded  in  17:1,  and  symbolically  rendered  in 
the  rite  of  circumcision  (17:10,  11),  accompanied  by  a  new  name 
(17:5,  15).  In  the  sacrifice  of  Isaac  that  obedience  was  magnifi¬ 
cently  realized  (22:16),  for  it  was  the  virtual  surrender  of  all  that 
was  dearest  to  him  (cp.  26:5).  This  surrender  enabled  Jehovah 
to  confirm  the  promise  with  an  oath  (22:16a).  It  was  irrevocable, 
being  grounded  in  God  and  man. 

Here  12:3  is  repeated  in  22:17a;  and  13:16  and  15:5  are  re¬ 
peated  in  22:17b.  While  22:18  repeats  12:30c  it  adds  conquest  as 
a  new  element. 


THE  PREMOSAIC  AGE 


45 


§  21.  (2)  Isaac:  The  Promise  Transmitted  Unchanged-  Gen.  26:4, 
5,  24. 

a)  26:3b  repeats  12:1,  7;  15:7;  13:15,  17  as  to  the  land. 

b)  26:3c  repeats  22:16-18,  establishing  the  oath. 

c)  26:4a  repeats  15:5;  22:17,  the  multiplying  of  the  seed. 

d)  26:4c  repeats  12:3;  22:18,  the  blessing  of  the  nations. 

§  21.  (3)  Jacob:  The  Blessing  Transmitted  with  Additions. 

a)  Elected  before  His  Birth,  (25:23,  24).  In  Jacob  and  Esau 
God  follows  spiritual  affinity  and  not  physical  descent  (John  3:3; 
Luke  3:8).  The  choice  of  the  one  over  the  other  before  either  had 
personally  done  either  good  or  bad  shows  God’s  sovereignty  and 
that  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  not  of  nature  but  of  the  free  grace  of 
God  (Rom.  9:10-12;  Luke  20:4). 

b)  The  Overruled  Paternal  Blessing  (27:27-29).  God  here 
sees  to  it  that  His  will  is  carried  out,  and  Isaac,  who  tries  to  re¬ 
verse  grace  for  nature,  is  defeated,  God  using  the  sins  of  Rebekah 
and  Jacob  to  accomplish  His  purpose  (Ps.  76:10),  as  He  did  in  the 
case  Joseph’s  brothers.  Religion  and  the  Kingdom  are  from  God 
and  in  His  power  and  cannot  be  made  human  or  this-worldly. 

c)  Jacob  Receives  Abraham’s  Blessings  (27:27-29;  28:1-4, 
13-15). 

1)  The  promise  of  the  land,  27:27,  28;  28:13c,  cp.  12:7;  13: 

16;  15:5. 

2)  Dominion,  27:29a,  cp.  25:23;  22:17c,  and  27:29c,  cp.  12:3. 

3)  A  great  people  28:3,  14a,  cp.  15:15,  16;  15:5;  22:17. 

4)  Blessing  of  the  nations,  28:14b,  cp.  12:3;  18:18;  22:18; 

26:4. 

5)  New  element,  28:15.  Protection  during  his  life  of  dis¬ 

pline  until  his  return  to  Canaan,  and  that  divine  care 
and  guidance  will  not  fail. 

d)  The  Theopany  at  Bethel  (28:13-16).  When  Jacob  had  en¬ 
raged  Esau  and  had  to  flee  from  the  promised  land,  he  may  have 
doubted  his  divinely  promised  destiny,  lying  there  a  lonely  fugitive 
from  justice  (25:24).  Hence  God  appears  to  him  in  a  dream  to 
assure  him  of  the  fact,  that  nothwithstanding  his  sin,  God’s  word 
stood  firm  and  that  God  would  go  with  him  into  the  discipline 


46 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


ahead,  into  exile  and  would  bring  him  back  again.  God’s  promises 
are  irrevocable.  The  promise  is  Jacob’s  on  the  word  of  Jehovah  to 
Abraham,  and  Jacob  was  to  gain  nothing  by  his  trickery. 

e)  Promise  Confirmed  by  Change  of  Name  (32:27,  28;  35:9). 
Compare  that  of  Abraham  (17:5).  When  Jacob  laid  aside  his  old 
nature  at  the  Jabbok,  as  Abraham  had  done  by  obedience  and  cir¬ 
cumcision,  God  gave  him  a  corresponding  new  name. 

Note.  The  fulfillment  of  the  Abrahamic  promises  are  referred 
to  in  Acts  3:25,  26,  “Ye  are  the  sons  of  the  covenant  with  Abra¬ 
ham.”  God  raised  up  His  Servant  to  bless  you.  Also  Acts  7:6,  7. 
In  Rev.  7:1-10  the  great  company  of  Israel  and  the  nations  bow 
down  before  the  throne  of  God  and  the  Lamb. 

§  22.  Gen.  49:8-12.  The  Blessing  of  Judah  (Schultz  O.  T.  Theol. 
vol.  II,  pages  334-343). 

Note.  The  blessing  that  was  first  given  to  the  race,  then  to 
the  Shemites,  and  later  to  the  Abrahamites  is  here  promised  to  one 
of  the  twelve  tribes,  to  Judah. 

1.  Canaan  Divided  among  the  sons  of  Jacob  is  an  actual  reali¬ 
zation  of  the  promise  of  the  land  (22:7).  In  Jacob’s  sons  the  prom¬ 
ised  large  family,  the  seed  of  Abraham,  begins  to  make  real  prog¬ 
ress.  In  the  twelve  tribes  the  “company  of  peoples”  of  28:3  begins 
to  materialize.  In  49:1,  the  “latter  days”  is  for  Jacob  the  time 
when  Israel  is  settled  in  Canaan  (Orelli,  p.  116). 

2.  Judah's  Leadership.  All  of  Jacob’s  sons  shall  dwell  together 
in  Canaan  under  God.  They  need  a  leader  though  all  are  heirs  of 
world  leadership.  This  leader  is  Judah  who  gets  the  quintessence 
of  the  promised  blessing,  namely  the  Scepter.  Judah  led  the  van 
of  Israel  later  in  the  wilderness  (Num.  2:3;  10:14),  had  the  cham¬ 
pionship  in  David  (1  Sam.  17  etc.),  and  peace  and  glory  in  Solo¬ 
mon  (1  Chron  .22:9,  1  Kings  10).  But  the  end  was  not  yet,  for 
David’s  fallen-down  hut  was  to  be  restored  (Am.  9:11),  a  Son  of 
David  was  to  rule  (2  Sam.  7:14-16;  Ezek.  34:23),  coming  on  an 
animal  of  peace  (Zech.  9:9;  John  12:15).  This  individual  Ruler, 
when  He  came,  was  to  be  of  the  tribe  of  Judah  (Rev.  5:5;  Heb. 
7:14). 

3.  Conflict  and  Peace  in  Judah.  There  are  two  stages  in  the 
life  of  Judah,  here  indicated,  one  of  conflict  and  one  of  peace. 

a)  Conflict  (49:8,  9).  In  conflict  he  will  have  preeminence  in 


THE  MOSAIC  AGE 


47 


Israel  as  he  had  leadership,  and  will  have  the  submission  of  the 
nations  (v.  8).  This  is  the  promise  of  22:17;  24:60;  27:29t,  that 
is  Jacob’s  supremacy  passes  over  to  Judah. 

b)  Peace  (49:10-12).  This  lies  in  the  expression,  “until  Shi¬ 
loh  come.”  There  is  a  transition  from  conflict  to  Peace. 

h.  Interpretations  of  ad  ki  yabho  shiloh.” 

a)  Until  he,  that  is  Judah,  come  to  Shiloh,  a  place  (Josh.  18:1). 
But  Judah  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  place,  Shiloh,  nor  with  the 
tabernacle  there. 

b)  Shelo,  for  asher  lo,  meaning  he  who  is  his,  that  is  his  son. 
So  Calvin.  But  this  is  against  Old  and  New  Testament  usage. 

c)  “Until  Shiloh,  the  Messiah,  come.”  A  common  interpreta¬ 
tion  since  A.D.  1554  and  so  taken  by  the  Orthodox  Jews  (§14.  2b). 
But  Jesus  is  nowhere  called  Shiloh. 

d)  Shelo,  i.  e.  asher  lo,  “Until  he  come  to  that  which  is  his,  or 
belongs  to  him,  to  his  own,  his  possession  as  described  in  the  sequal 
(obedience  of  the  people  w.  10c,  11,  12).  Compare  Deut.  33:7, 
Judah  was  to  have  princely  functions,  as  is  indicated  in  the  kingly 
terms,  shebet,  scepter,  and  mechoqeq,  one  who  makes  decrees,  and 
this  idea  of  royalty,  the  enigmatic  phrase  cannot  annul.  It  fixes 
some  point  in  the  future  for  its  realization  whatever  the  phrase 
may  mean.  On  Judah  as  prince  see  1  Chron.  5:1,  2. 

5.  The  Blessing  of  Joseph.  (48:19-22;  49:22-26). 

a)  Joseph  and  Judah.  Joseph  received  a  blessing  (49 : 22) ,  but 
Judah  was  to  be  a  nagid,  a  prince. 

b)  The  Rejected  Tribes.  Reuben  is  rejected  (49:3;  35:22) 
and  so  are  Simeon  and  Levi,  stained  with  a  blot  (49:5-7;  34:13ff). 

c)  Joseph’s  Preeminence.  The  blessing  of  Joseph  was  not 
leadership,  for  this  was  given  to  Judah,  but  he  had  a  double  por¬ 
tion  of  the  good  things  of  civil  life  (49:22).  The  double  portion 
puts  him  as  first  born  (1  Chron.  5:2).  Joseph  had  been  persecuted 
but  prevailed  (49:23)  and  flourished  (v.  22,  25,  26). 

d)  The  Sowrce  of  Joseph’s  Strength.  (49:24c).  “By  the 
hands,”  i.  e.  by  the  might  of  the  mighty  One  of  Jacob,  from  thence 
is  the  Shepherd,  the  Stone  of  Israel.”  This  explains  the  promi¬ 
nent  part  played  by  Ephraim  and  Manasseh  in  later  history. 


48 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


Summary  of  Chapter  Two. 

Man  was  made  for  fellowship  with  God,  as  an  individual  and 
as  a  race.  Fallen  from  this  aim,  God  promised  redemption  and  vic¬ 
tory  over  the  foe  (Gen.  3:16).  This  blessing  first  promised  to  the 
race  is  restricted  later  to  the  Shemites,  later  still  to  the  tribes  of 
Israel  and  then  to  the  tribe  of  Judah. 

The  Kingdom  of  God  took  its  beginning  in  one  chosen  family 
and  in  a  land  suited  for  its  purpose.  In  this  earthly  kingdom  the 
principles  of  a  universal  and  spiritual  kingdom  were  pedagogically, 
symbolically,  wrought  out. 

In  Abraham,  God  had  a  fit  soil  for  His  revelation  and  in  Israel 
He  kept  up  this  fitness  by  divine  discipline.  These  people  were 
human,  and  so  gradually  developed,  making  history,  but  under 
divine  guidance. 

Abraham  somehow  saw  the  King  and  the  Kingdom  (John  8: 
56).  Israel  had  for  its  task  the  conquest  and  blessing  of  the  world 
for  God  and  in  God. 

The  blessing  promised  to  Abraham  takes  on  personal  and  in¬ 
dividual  form  in  the  promise  to  Judah. 

Literature. 

Briggs,  pages  67-99.  Orelli,  pages  77-124.  Delitzsch  §§  1-9. 


THE  MOSAIC  AGE 


49 


CHAPTER  THREE. 

THE  MOSAIC  AGE. 

§  23.  The  Historic  Setting. 

Moses  was  a  prophet,  as  clearly  and  strongly  called  (Ex.  3  and 
6)  as  were  Isaiah  (Isa.  6)  and  Jeremiah  (Jer.  1)  and  Ezekiel 
(Ezek.  1-3).  This  alone  explains  the  nature  of  his  work.  God 
spoke  face  to  face  with  him  (Num.  12:6),  that  is  clearly  and 
directly,  and  worked  through  him  so  that  at  last  God’s  glory  shone 
from  his  face  (Ex.  34:29-35;  33:7-11;  2  Cor.  3:7,  13).  He  was  a 
unique  prophet,  at  least  up  to  his  own  day  (Num.  12:6;  Deut.  34: 
10;  Hos.  12:13). 

In  the  founding  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel  it  was  God’s  purpose 
to  save  Israel  from  sinking  back  into  idolatry.  Thus  He  had  al¬ 
ready  once  saved  the  race  in  and  through  Abraham.  He  now  aims 
to  build  further  on  the  primitive  Patriarchal  foundations.  His  aim 
was  “so  to  lay  hold  of  Israel  in  its  entirety  and  in  its  manifold 
elements,  that,  on  the  basis  of  a  conviction  gained  by  experience, 
they  would  be  lifted  up  to  a  faith-union  with  an  unseen  and  living 
God;  and  that  they  would  accept  it  as  their  task  to  express  the 
will  of  God  in  all  their  life  as  a  people,  that  is  He  constituted  them 
a  congregation  or  nation,  a  people  of  God  on  earth,  or,  in  O.  T. 
terms,  He  entered  into  a  covenant  with  them  and  they  with  Him” 
(Dillman,  O.  T.  Theology  p.  106,  German  Edition). 

To  give  Israel  this  uplifting  experience  was  the  aim  of  the 
plagues  and  other  miracles  at  the  Exodus.  Here  and  thus  they 
learned  that  their  God  was  a  living,  omnipotent  God,  who  chose 
them  and  loved  them.  Such  a  sublime  faith  filled  at  least  their 
leaders.  God  had  become  real  to  them,  and  they  entered  into  a 
new,  ethical  relation  to  Him.  The  problem  now  was  to  perpetuate 
these  impressions  and  resolves  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  and  con¬ 
tinue  them  as  factors  in  the  shaping  of  their  future  lives  as  indi¬ 
viduals  and  as  a  people.  To  put  these  events  and  their  meaning  in 
clear  words  and  to  fix  their  lessons  in  rules  for  the  people,  is  the 
part  of  the  prophet,  in  this  case  Moses.  To  acknowledge  these  and 


50 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


accept  them  as  obligatory,  is  the  work  of  the  people,  in  other 
words:  The  founding  of  the  Jehovah-people  is  the  bringing  into 
clear  consciousness  the  relationship  begun  and  willingly  and  bind- 
ingly  assumed  as  divine  commands.  This  was  done  in  the  actions 
recorded  in  Ex.  19-24.  The  law  and  its  observance  was  made  the 
condition  of  this  relation  and  Jehovah  was  made  King  of  the  cove¬ 
nant  people  (Deut.  33:5). 

On  that  same  experienced  truth,  and  on  the  character  of  God 
here  revealed,  was  based  the  congregation  as  a  theocracy.  This 
was  not  so  much  a  form  of  government  as  a  symbolic  representa¬ 
tion  of  the  peculiar  relations  between  God  and  Israel.  It  was  a 
religious  congregation  and  “a  religious  congregation  is  everywhere 
present  where  several  persons  feel  themselves  bound  together  by 
like  religious  faith,  and  striving  for  the  same  ends  in  thought  and 
conduct”  (Dillman  p.  112).  God  could  only  be  King  in  Israel  on 
the  basis  of  a  vital  relation  to  them  in  a  life  in  which  they  ex¬ 
pressed  His  life,  in  a  relation  in  which  He  touched  each  individual 
of  them  and  in  the  fact  that  they  had  all  one  experience,  one  faith, 
one  aim,  namely  to  live  in  Jehovah,  to  realize  Him  in  their  life,  so 
as  to  spread  the  knowledge  of  Him  to  the  rest  of  the  race. 

With  the  covenant  and  the  law,  Israel,  as  God’s  people,  had  a 
problem  to  solve,  a  task  to  perform,  at  which  they  had  many  cen¬ 
turies  to  work.  With  divine  guidance  and  help  they  were  now  to 
make  actual  in  their  life  that  which  they  had  now  undertaken  to 
be,  that  is  a  genuine  people  of  God.  Jehovah  was  the  slogan  of  the 
kingdom,  repentance  and  faith  the  condition  of  salvation  and  prog¬ 
ress  in  it  (Deut.  30;  Lev.  26:40). 

§  24.  Ex.  4:22,  23;  Deut.  32:6-10.  Israel,  God’s  Firstborn. 

1.  Jehovah  Takes  Israel  as  His  Firstborn.  Though  the  whole 
earth  and  all  nations  are  His  (Ex.  19:5c),  God  chose  Israel  as 
especially  His  own.  This  is  implied  in  the  idea  of  firstborn,  for 
this  implies  others  to  whom  they  were  to  be  an  elder  brother.  God 
will  recompense  Egypt  and  Pharaoh  in  the  same  measure  in  which 
they  treated  His  chosen,  His  firstborn  (Ex.  4:22,  23). 

2.  Israel  Among  the  Nations.  Deut.  32:8,  10.  God  assigns 
Israel  a  special  place  among  the  nations,  a  determining  place.  Be¬ 
fore  stating  their  position  in  the  world,  their  relation  to  God  is 
declared  (w.  6,  7)  which  is  really  a  restatement  of  Ex.  4:22,  23. 
This  relationship  is  proved  by  God’s  fatherly  care  of  them  in  their 
wilderness  experience  (Deut.  32:7).  The  words (  “days  of  old,” 


THE  MOSAIC  AGE 


51 


seem  to  refer  to  Israel’s  life  before  the  Exodus,  as  do  also  the 
words,  “years  of  many  generations.” 

3.  Israel's  Place  in  Histoi'y.  The  above  (Deut.  32:8)  makes 
Israel  the  focus  of  history,  the  corner  stake  or  stone  which  deter¬ 
mines  the  position  of  all  the  other  building  material.  Each  nation 
has  its  place  and  task,  but  God  fixes  this  for  each  with  reference  to 
Israel.  This  was  not  for  Israel  as  a  mere  people,  for  humanly 
there  was  nothing  special  in  them,  but  it  was  because  of  that  with 
which  she  was  pregnant,  even  the  Christ.  She  must  not  be  like 
the  fabled  ass,  who  took  to  herself  the  honors  that  were  meant  for 
the  bishop  whom  she  carried.  God  made  all  things  for  Himself 
(Rom.  11:36)  in  Jesus  Christ  (John  1:1,  2)  and  the  destiny  of 
nations  as  of  individuals  is  determined  by  their  relation  to  and 
bearing  toward  Jesus  Christ,  the  Child  of  Israel  on  the  human  side, 
kata  sarka  (Rom.  1:3). 

Jf..  Israel's  Special  Relation  to  God.  Deut.  32:9.  It  is  God’s 
special  choice  of  Israel  that  makes  them  the  determining  factor  in 
the  world’s  history.  This  indicated  by  the  word  “for”  connecting 
verse  8  with  verse  9.  The  miraculous  and  fatherly  care  and  dis¬ 
cipline  shown  in  the  Wanderings  are  but  the  expression  of  this 
fact  of  special  relation  (Deut.  32:10  and  Davidson  chap.  11).  So 
also  is  the  revelation  of  God  as  specially  Jehovah  (Ex.  3:6),  the 
everliving  God,  the  revealing  God,  the  covenant-making  God,  eter¬ 
nally  with  the  then  present  Israelite  nation.  I  am  that  I  am,  is  an 
explanation  of  God  only  in  terms  of  Himself,  revealed  in  the  exper¬ 
ience  of  the  devout  soul.  So  sweet  is  sweet,  and  green  is  green, 
known  only  by  experience,  so  God  is  God,  known  only  by  exper¬ 
ience.  “Taste  and  see  that  Jehovah  is  good”  (Ps.  34:8).  “In  thy 
light  we  see  light”  (Ps.  36:9).  Orelli,  page  127-8. 

§  25.  Ex.  19:3-6.  The  Kingdom  of  Priests. 

1.  The  Historic  Setting.  When  Israel  had  come  to  Sinai,  the 
theater  of  revelation,  Moses  went  up,  or  was  called  up  into  the 
mount,  and  there  God  proposed  to  make  a  life-union  covenant  with 
Israel,  Moses  being  the  middle  man. 

2.  The  Basis  of  the  Union.  The  basis  of  this  proposed  union 
was  God’s  character  and  attitude  toward  Israel  as  revealed  in  the 
Exodus  miracles  against  Egypt,  their  enemies  and  for  Israel  His 
people  (Ex.  19:4). 

3.  The  Human  Conditions  of  the  Covenant  (19:5).  This  was 


52 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


here  as  always,  obedience  to  the  will  of  God.  Obedience  is  the 
mode  of  receiving  in  the  case  of  the  highest  blessings,  in  this  case 
Godlikeness.  This  can  only  be  gotten  thus.  We  become  like  God 
by  dying  as  He  does,  and  even  in  the  New  Testament  where  we 
have  the  Christ-life  as  pattern  we  must  exercise  it  into  character. 
Even  cleansing  from  sin  comes  through  obedience  (1  Peter  1:22). 
Israel  was  God’s  segullah,  property,  His  proprium,  that  is  they  be¬ 
longed  to  Him  and  to  no  one  else.  He  delivered  them  from  Egypt 
that  they  might  become  His  dwelling  place,  “a  peculiar  people 
zealous  of  good  works”  (Titus  2:14). 

4.  Israel  Made  a  Kingdom  of  Priests ,  a  double  character. 

a)  They  Are  Holy  Before  God.  “I  will  be  sanctified  in  them 
that  come  nigh  me”  (Lev.  10:3).  Priests  are  mediators  between 
God  and  man  and  bring  about  the  right  feeling  in  man  toward  God 
and  in  God  toward  man.  The  prophet  ministers  to  the  intellect, — 
the  priest  in  the  feelings,  and  the  king  in  the  will.  Priests  come 
before  God  and  must  especially  be  holy. 

b)  Israel  to  Mediate  to  the  Gentiles.  Israel  was  priest  of  God 
to  the  nations  outside,  their  younger  brothers,  to  reconcile  them  to 
Jehovah,  “a  ministry  of  reconciliation”  (2  Cor.  5:18,  20).  This 
is  implied  in  the  firstborn  idea  and  is  the  same  as  the  blessing  to  all 
nations  in  Gen.  12:3  etc.  Israel  rejected  its  blessing,  Jesus,  their 
Messiah  (John  1:11)  and  refused  to  mediate  to  the  Gentiles  (Acts 
22:21-23). 

5.  Isinel  is  Royal.  In  order  to  subordinate  the  world  to  God 
they  are  kings.  This  is  an  other  form  of  Gen.  1:28,  but  stresses 
more  the  religious  and  personal  side,  that  is  missionary  work. 
Hence  “go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  make  disciples  of  all  nations” 
(Matt.  28:20). 

6.  The  Whole  Nation  Ideally  Priest.  They  sanctified  them¬ 
selves  to  meet  God  as  a  people  (Ex.  19:10,  14),  came  before  God, 
and  God  manifested  Himself  to  them  (v.  11b).  It  was  their  sins 
that  kept  them  back  from  God,  and  they  asked  for  a  mediator 
(Ex.  20:19).  In  Ex.  28:1,  Aaron  and  his  sons  are  appointed 
priests  to  represent  the  people  before  a  holy  God  (Deut.  18:5). 

7.  New  Testament  Fulfillment.  In  the  N.  T.  this  idea  of  the 
priesthood  of  the  nation  is  again  established  (1  Peter  2:9).  The 
law  with  its  priesthood  in  Aaron  was  transitional,  a  parenthesis 
(Gal.  3:11-14,  17-19;  Heb.  7:11-16). 


THE  MOSAIC  AGE 


53 


§  26.  Ex.  20:1.9;  Dcut.  18:15-19.  The  Prophet  Like  Moses. 

1.  The  Occasion  of  the  Prediction.  Ex.  20:18;  Deut.  5:22-28; 
18:9-18.  According  to  Ex.  19:11;  20:18;  Deut.  5:22,  23,  God  talked 
directly  to  Israel.  God  seems  to  have  intended  this  mode  of  com¬ 
munication  to  be  the  customary  thing,  but  sin  hindered  (Gen.  3:8), 
that  is  he  would  have  every  one  of  Israel  and  the  people  as  a  whole 
in  personal  communion  with  Him,  and  thus  be  His  prophetic  and 
priestly  people,  for  God  communes  with  and  reveals  Himself  to 
every  human  soul.  It  is  a  divine  right  of  every  soul  to  come  di¬ 
rectly  to  Him.  If  man  does  not  come  to  God,  or  hear  His  voice,  it 
is  because  of  man’s  sin,  his  unwillingness  to  listen,  or  because  of 
distractions  of  self  and  the  world.  The  other  proof  that  this  would 
have  been  the  way  of  intercourse  with  God,  is  this,  that  it  is  so  in 
the  Christian  Church.  Here  we  come  into  direct  relation  to  God 
through  Jesus  Christ,  the  God-man  (1  Tim.  2:5).  Perhaps  we 
should  say  that  this  fellowship  as  here  demanded  was  ideal  and 
prophetic,  and  that  Israel’s  fear  was  an  indication  to  them  that 
they  were  not  yet  prepared  to  meet  God  face  to  face,  and  would  not 
be  until  by  the  incarnation  and  death  of  the  Christ  the  way  into  the 
Holy  of  Holies  was  opened. 

In  Deut.  5:24  the  people  admit  that  God  talks  with  man  and 
man  lives,  but  yet  they  want  to  have  a  mediator  because  flesh  can¬ 
not  hear  His  voice,  experience  His  manifestation,  and  live  (Deut. 
5:25,  26).  There  is  nothing  in  the  nature  of  God  that  prevents 
Him  from  communing  with  man,  the  fault  lies  in  man  as  a  sinner, 
for  as  such  he  is  conscious  of  disharmony.  The  people  in  Deut.  5: 
27,  28,  31  ask  Moses  to  be  a  mediator  and  receive  the  revelation 
and  give  it  to  them.  God  grants  their  request  (Deut.  18:16,  17). 
This  seems  to  concern  the  law  especially  (Deut.  5:27c,  31a). 

When  they  came  to  Canaan  they  were  not  to  be  misled  by 
going  to  divination  (Deut.  18:9-11),  for  these  pryings  into  the 
future  are  an  abomination  to  Jehovah  (18:12).  The  Israelites 
were  to  be  honest  with  God  (18:13).  As  a  supply  for  their  need 
and  as  far  as  needed,  God  gave  them  the  prophet  (Deut.  18:15-18). 

2.  Characteristics  of  the  Prophet.  (Compare  §3  above). 

a)  He  is  in  each  case  “raised  of  God”  and  not  a  descendant  of 
a  prophet,  that  is  the  office  is  not  hereditary,  as  was  the  office  of 
the  priest.  The  same  is  true  of  Jesus.  He  was  God-given  (John 
1:14)  and  was  not  the  product  of  the  human  race.  So  all  true 
religion  and  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  from  God  and  not  from 
man  (Rom.  9:6-13;  Matt.  21:25,  26). 


54 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


b)  He  was  an  Israelite  (18:15,  18a).  He  was  flesh  of  their 
flesh  as  was  also  their  king  (2  Sam.  5:1;  Deut.  17:15b;  Cp.  Gal. 
4:4,5;  Heb.  2:17,  18). 

c)  Like  Moses.  “Like  unto  thee/’  that  is  receiving  his  revela¬ 
tion  directly  from  God,  “face  to  face”  (Num.  12:8;  Deut.  34:10). 
The  prophets  after  Moses  were  to  build  upon  the  foundation  laid 
by  him  under  the  guidance  and  revelation  from  God  and  in  vital 
intercourse  with  Him. 

d)  He  speaks  God’s  word  (18:18b).  Hence  the  frequent  use 
by  the  prophets  of,  “Thus  saith  Jehovah.”  That  is,  his  message  was 
given  him,  and  not  evolved  from  within  him,  not  even  his  own  con¬ 
clusions  or  inferences  from  divine  manifestations  in  the  history  of 
the  world.  “Es  war  etwas  Gegebenes,”  as  Goethe  claimed  his  best 
productions  to  have  been.  The  prophets  spoke  even  against  their 
own  inclination  (Jer.  20:7-9).  Hence  the  truths  often  lay  uncon¬ 
nected  in  their  minds  and  they  gave  it  just  as  they  received  it  from 
God.  Only  later  fulfillment  revealed  the  exact  meaning  of  the  God- 
given  message  (Peter  1:10,  12). 

e)  He  shall  speak.  All  God’s  Words  (v.  18c).  There  was  a 
divine  compulsion  in  the  case  (Jer.  20:7-9).  The  prophet  spoke, 
that  is,  communicated  God’s  words  to  the  people  and  therefore  spoke 
in  such  a  way  that  the  people  understood,  using  plain  words,  and 
all  the  arts  of  speech  and  action  to  impress  the  idea  (Am.  1  and  2; 
Isa.  20:3;  Ezek.  4;  Jer.  18:19  etc.).  He  was  messenger  of  God 
and  he  had  to  deliver  the  message  without  subtracting  or  adding 
from  his  own  mind.  He  gave  the  word  whether  they  heard  or  for¬ 
bore  (Ezek.  2:5,  7;  3:11,27).  It  was  not  the  prophet’s  concern 
whether  they  heeded  or  not.  The  results  he  left  to  God. 

f)  He  therefore  spoke  With  Power,  dunamis,  and  exousia. 
God’s  call  and  mission  gave  him  the  exousia,  the  authority.  But 
with  God’s  commission  goes  also  His  dunamis,  power,  to  convert, 
save  or  damn,  for  it  is  life  unto  life  or  death  unto  death  to  all  that 
hear  it  (2  Cor.  2:16;  Jer.  23:23-32;  especially  w.  28,  29;  Jer.  5: 
14;  Isa.  55:11).  In  this  respect  the  message  of  God  differs  from 
human  wisdom  (1  Cor.  2:4,  5;  2  Cor.  4:7;  Isa.  33:11). 

3.  (tThe  Prophet ,”  em  individual  or  a  Class?  There  seems  to 
be  truth  in  both  views  here  implied.  To  make  this  passage  to  refer 
to  Christ  alone  would  have  been  equal  to  saying  to  Israel  in  the 
hour  of  its  need  and  temptation  to  go  to  wizards  (Deut.  18:14,  15) 
and  in  their  desire  to  have  a  mediator  (18:16,  17;  5:27),  “You 


THE  MOSAIC  AGE 


55 


are  right  in  asking  for  a  guide  and  mediator  (18:17),  yet  do  not 
go  to  these,  but  wait  and  in  1500  years  I  will  send  you  the  true 
prophet  like  Moses.”  The  passage  can  not  be  thus  understood. 
There  must  have  been  an  immediate  satisfaction  for  a  present 
need,  and  the  passage  must  refer  to 

a)  A  Succession  of  Prophets.  There  was  to  be  after  Moses  a 
progressive  revelation  to  realize  the  Torah,  or  law  of  Moses.  Of 
this  revelation  for  the  development,  the  prophet  was  the  organ. 

b)  On  the  other  hand  the  words  “like  unto  thee”  imply  a  unique 
ness  of  the  one  intended.  There  were  other  prophets  before  Moses. 
Abraham  (Gen.  20:7)  received  original  revlation,  obeyed  and  lived 
it  and  founded  a  family  on  the  strength  of  it.  Then  there  was 
Miriam  (Ex.  15:20;  Num.  12:2;  Micah  6:4)  and  the  seventy  of 
Num.  11:24-29.  But  Moses  was  like  no  other  in  his  relation  to 
God,  for  God  spoke  to  him  mouth  to  mouth  (Num.  12:6-8).  Though 
this  peculiarity  might  have  been  granted  partially,  as  it  likely  was, 
to  the  later  prophets,  the  one  spoken  of  must  have  had  it  in  a 
unique  degree,  as  he  was  to  be  the  one  who  realized  what  Moses 
had  laid  down  as  a  code  of  laws  (Jer.  31:31;  Heb.  8).  The  law, 
the  code  of  laws,  came  by  Moses  but  the  grace  to  keep  it  and  the 
truth  of  it  came  by  Christ  (John  1:17;  7:19;  Heb.  3:2-6). 

U.  The  Fulfillment  in  Jesus.  Acts  3:22,  23,  regards  this  pas¬ 
sage  as  referring  to  an  individual  prophet,  and  claims  that  it  was 
realized  in  Christ.  Acts  7:37  does  not  make  Stephen  speak  speci¬ 
fically  of  this  passage  as  being  fulfilled  in  Christ,  but  implies  it 
because  he  is  accused  of  preaching  Christ  and  is  arrested  for  it. 
In  John  1:45  they  say,  “We  have  seen  Him  of  whom  Moses  in  the 
Law  wrote.”  The  Samaritans  had  only  the  Pentateuch  and  so  the 
Samaritan  woman  could  know  of  the  coming  Messiah  only  from 
this  passage  (John  4:25,  29).  In  John  5:46,  47,  Jesus  says, 
“Moses  wrote  of  me.” 

We  may  say  then  that  it  was  a  line  of  prophets  spoken  of  here, 
meeting  the  current  need  of  the  people,  accompanying  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  the  kingdom  but  culminating  in  the  Christ,  the  last  and 
real  prophet,  the  New  Founder  of  the  Kingdom  in  its  true  inward¬ 
ness  and  spiritual  truth.  No  other  prophet  met  in  any  deep  sense 
all  the  conditions  in  the  passage. 

§  27.  Num.  23:7-10,  20-24;  24:5-3,  17-24.  The  Conquering  Star. 

1.  Historical  Setting.  Israel  had  reached  the  “plain  of  Moab 
beyond  Jordan”  where  they  came  against 


56 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


a)  Balak,  King  of  Moab.  Balak  was  in  alliance  with  the  Mid- 
ianites  (22:7),  who  are  somehow  identified  with  Moab’s  cause 
(Num.  31:9,  15,  16;  25:1).  Balak  fears  Israel  because  of  their 
great  number  (22:4)  but  also  because  he  feels  that  they  are  di¬ 
vinely  protected,  for  he  resorts  to  divination  (22:7;  23:28).  He 
sends  for  a  famous  diviner  on  the  Euphrates  (22:5a)  and  induces 
him  with  money  and  honor  (22:8)  as  was  Simon  Magus  (Acts  8: 
9-24).  In  his  negotiations  with  Balak’s  committee,  Balaam  speaks 
of  Jehovah.  In  his  intercourse  with  God  he  says  Elohim  (22:12, 
13,  18,  19,  22;  23:3,  4,  12,  18,  26;  24:11,  12).  The  angel  of  Jeho¬ 
vah  resists  him,  but  Balaam  does  not  mention  His  name  (22:21-35). 
Balaam  says,  God,  in  22:23,  but  the  author  of  the  story  says,  Jeho¬ 
vah  met  Balaam  (23:16;  24:1).  It  was  the  spirit  of  God  that 
came  upon  Balaam  (24:2). 

Balaam  is  later  mixed  up  with  the  Midianites  and  Moabites. 
(Num.  31:8,  9,  15,  16;  25:1).  He  knows  Jehovah  and  is  con¬ 
trolled  by  the  spirit  of  Elohim  (God)  to  such  an  extent  that  he  is 
powerless  to  curse,  and  his  enchantments  avail  not  (23:23).  Moses 
founded  the  theocracy.  Balaam  as  a  stranger  sees  it  in  the  future 
and  announces  its  glory. 

2.  Reiteration  of  Former  Prophecies.  There  is  practically 
nothing  new  in  the  prophetic  utterances  of  Balaam.  It  is  not  likely 
that  he  repeats  them  from  having  heard  them  before  from  human 
lips.  He  repeats  the  following  prophecies : 

a)  Of  Abraham.  By  the  seven  smoking  altars  on  the  heights 

of  Baal  he  repeats:  (1)  Israel’s  separateness  (Num.  23:9b)  from 
Gen.  12:1;  Deut.  32:8;  Ex.  33:16.  (2)  Its  uniqueness  in  land  and 

spirit,  Num.  23:10a  from  Ex.  19:6;  Lev.  20:24.  (3)  Its  numerical 

greatness,  Num.  23:10a  from  Gen.  13:16;  28:14. 

b)  The  Promise  of  Judah.  From  the  top  of  Pisgah  (Num. 

23:14)  by  other  seven  smoking  altars  he  reiterates  (1)  the  irre¬ 
vocableness  of  the  promise  to  Judah  (Num.  23:19,  20).  (2)  The 

regal  prospects.  Num.  23:24  from  Gen.  49:9  is  of  kingly  signifi¬ 
cance  here,  as  it  is  in  Gen.  49  where  it  is  followed  by  the  mention 
of  the  scepter  (49:10).  (3)  Jehovah’s  presence  with  Israel.  Ba¬ 

laam  sees  Jehovah  the  God  of  Israel  with  them  as  their  king,  exul¬ 
tant  (23:21b),  and  as  Deliverer  and  Protector  (Num.  23:22,  23; 
compared  with  Ex.  29:45,  46). 

c)  Blessings  of  Abraham  amd  Jacob.  From  the  top  of  Peor 
by  the  side  of  other  seven  smoking  altars  (23:27-30)  in  a  vision 


THE  MOSAIC  AGE 


57 


in  ecstacy  (24:3,  4),  Balaam  sees  the  blessings  promised  to  the 
patriarchs,  a  divinely  planted  flourishing  garden  (Num.  24:5-7a). 
Its  pupulation  shall  grow  like  grass  (24:7a  from  Gen.  12:2;  13:16; 
15:5;  Isa.  44:2-5)  and  the  king  or  kings  promised  to  Sarah  (Gen. 
17:6,  16)  and  to  Jacob  (Gen.  35:11;  49:10).  Israel’s  kingdom  shall 
be  great  (Num.  24:7c)  and  exalted  (v.  7c).  The  conquest  prom¬ 
ised  Judah  in  Gen.  49:9-11  is  repeated  in  Num.  24:8,  9a)  and  that 
of  Gen.  12:3a  in  Num.  24:9b). 


3.  Balaam’s  Prediction.  He  speaks  of  “what  this  people  shall 
do  to  thy  people  in  the  latter  days”  (Num.  24:14).  For  this  fail¬ 
ure  to  curse  Israel  Balak  is  angry  with  Balaam,  withholds  his 
reward  (v.  lib)  and  orders  him  home:  “flee  thee  to  thy  place” 
(24:11a).  But  as  Balaam  goes  he  delivers  a  Parthian  shot  at 
Balak. 


a)  The  Conquering  Star  (24:17).  This  star  is  not  near  in 
space  or  time.  The  word  “him”  makes  the  star  an  individual  per¬ 
son.  The  “scepter”  in  line  four  makes  the  “him”  and  the  star  a 
king  (cp.  Gen.  49:10).  The  origin  of  this  idea  cannot  be  referred 
to  a  natural,  human  source.  It  is  divine,  supernatural,  and  throws 
light  on  the  Shiloh  passage. 


b)  Victory  over  Moab  and  Edom.  Over  Moab  in  v.  17,  over 
Edom  in  v.  18.  Moab  is  mentioned  first,  for  the  prophecy  was  in¬ 
tended  fo,r  “Balak’s  people”  (v.  14).  Sheth  contracted  from  She’- 
eth  means  rebellion,  and  hence  sons  of  rebellion  (Jer.  48:45),  and 
stands  for  all  rebellious  opponents  to  Israel’s  rule  (Ps.  2:1-4).  On 
Edom,  note  the  contrast  between  Edom  and  Israel  (Isa.  25:6-9; 
Chap.  34  and  35) . 

c)  Victory  Over  Distant  Nations.  Amalek,  v.  20,  the  Kenite 
a  Midianite  tribe  (Gen.  45:9)  and  not  the  friendly  Kenites  of  whom 
was  Hobab  (Num.  10:29-32).  Kain  is  the  land  of  the  Kenites. 
The  word  Kain  means  nest,  eagles’  nest,  rocky  height,  mountain 
fastness.  These  people  will  fall  a  prey  to  Assyria’s  super-power 
(including  the  Babylonian).  These  devastating  marches  of  these 
Euphrates  nations  will  be  appalling  (24:23b).  But  God  has  a  pow¬ 
er  to  quell  even  these,  namely,  the  Western  maritime  nations, 
Greece  and  Rome  (24:24,  compare  Isa.  10:5-34).  Kittim  is  Cypress 
visible  in  general  in  the  west  and  southwest.  Eber  possible  means 
the  trans-Eupharates  lands.  The  whole  oracle  is  purposely  vague. 

Note.  Num.  24:15-19  is  the  climax  of  Balaam’s  message?  All 
terms  are  concrete.  He  sees  no  darkness  in  Israel. 


58 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


•4*  Fulfillment ..  This  came  in  Christ,  the  Son  of  David,  and 
King  supreme.  See  Matt.  2:2,  “his  star  in  the  East.”  Hence  the 
usurper  called  himself  Bar  Chochba,  the  son  of  the  star,  in  Jeru¬ 
salem,  A.D.  135.  In  Rev.  22:16  we  have  “Offspring  of  David, 
Morning  Star.”  Christ  may  not  conquer  by  force  all  the  nations 
here  mentioned,  yet  what  will  not  yield  to  His  scepter,  albeit  a 
scepter  of  love  and  He  a  Prince  of  Peace,  will  have  to  vanish  from 
the  earth  by  force.  (Orelli,  page  144). 

§  28.  Num.  25:12,  13.  The  Everlasting  Priesthood. 

1.  The  Historical  Setting .  Israel  was,  as  a  nation,  to  be  a 
body  of  priests  (Ex.  19:6),  but  could  not  as  a  whole  stand  before 
God  because  they  were  not  holy  (Lev.  10:3).  As  they,  at  Sinai, 
asked  for  and  received  a  middleman  in  Moses,  and  later  when  the 
Levites  were  made  prists,  or  mediators  (Deut.  18:1-5)  and  from 
among  these  Aaron  (Ex.  28:1),  so  here  Phinehas,  the  grandson  of 
Aaron  functioned  as  mediator.  He  “turned  my  wrath  away  from 
the  children  of  Israel”  (Num.  25:11)  after  they  had  awfully 
defiled  themselves  (Num.  25:1-9),  was  “jealous  for  God  and  made 
atonement  for  the  children  of  Israel”  (Num.  25:10,  13).  He  killed 
the  chief  sinner  in  the  defection  (25:7,  8).  For  this  service  and 
character  he  was  promised  an  everlasting  priesthood  (v.  13). 

2.  The  Priesthood  Everlasting .  For  this  reason  God  made  the 
priesthood  represented  in  Phinehas  everlasting  in  his  house  (v.  13). 
Here  the  emphasis  seems  to  lie  on  the  durability  of  the  priesthood, 
not  in  its  being  in  the  line  of  Aaron  or  Phinehas  for  it  later  passes 
over  to  the  tribe  of  Judah  (Heb.  7 :ll-25).  This  appointment  rests 
on  a  covenant  of  peace  between  God  and  Phinehas  (Num.  25:12). 

3.  The  Function  of  the  Priest.  Here  the  function  of  averting 
the  wrath  of  God  and  of  making  atonement  is  ascribed  to  the 
priesthood.  Everlastingness  and  efficacious  atonement  are  found  in 
Jesus  Christ  alone. 

§  29.  Deut.  32.  The  Progress  and  Goal  of  Redemption. 

This  is  Moses’  last  song  regarding  Israel. 

1.  God’s  Gracious  Privileges  to  Israel  (32:1-14).  Israel’s  God 
is  a  rock  “just  and  right”  (w.  4,  5).  Though  they  are  nought  but 
a  blot  of  what  they  should  be  (1.  5),  yet  He  has  been  a  Father  to 
them  in  ages  past  (w.  6b,  7),  made  them  the  center  of  nations  (v. 
8),  chose  them  as  His  own  (v.  9),  nursed  them  (v.  10),  and  edu- 


THE  MOSAIC  AGE 


59 


cated  them  (v.  11).  This  He  did  all  alone  and  blessed  them  (w. 
12-14). 

2.  Israel’s  Thanklessness.  Deut.  32:15-18.  These  very  bless¬ 
ings  turned  them  away  from  God  (v.  15).  They  provoked  Jehovah 
with  their  abominations,  that  is  idols  (w.  16-18). 

3.  God's  Judgments  on  Them,  Deut.  32:19-34,  or  19-33,  34. 
This  is  a  look  into  the  future. 

a)  Evils  Following  Apostacy.  Vv.  19-21.  God  abhors  them 
(v.  19)  and  lets  them  see  the  end  of  their  course  (v.  20).  As  they 
provoked  Him  to  jealousy  so  will  He  provoke  them  (v.  21). 

b)  God's  Great  Wrath.  Vv.  22-25.  This  was  manifested  by 
fire  (v.  22),  by  war  (v.  23,  25)  famine  and  wild  beasts  (v.  24). 

c)  God's  Wrath  Checked.  This  was  done  for  His  name’s  sake 
(w.  32:26,  26).  He  would  destroy  them  entirely,  but  lest  the  enemy 
exult  over  it,  He  desists  (v.  27). 

d)  What  Might  Have  Been.  Deut.  32:28-33.  ‘‘For  they  are 
a  nation  void  of  counsel”  connects  with  v.  26 :  “I  said  I  would  scat¬ 
ter  them  afar,”  where:  “I  said”  means  I  had  determined,  and  the 
reason  is  that  they  were  so  foolish  (v.  28),  nor  considered  the  con¬ 
sequences  of  sin  and  the  glory  of  obedience  (w.  29,  30).  Jehovah 
is  God  (v.  31),  and  they,  the  enemy,  have  no  such  Rock,  but  are  liv¬ 
ing  the  part  of  a  poisonous  plant  (vv.  32,  33).  Verses  32,  33,  may 
also  refer  to  Israel  and  prove  v.  30. 

h.  God’s  Mercy-Council  for  Future  Days.  Deut.  32:34-43.  God 
does  not  reveal  what  is  in  His  heart  of  hearts,  vengeance  on  Is¬ 
rael’s  foes, — or  on  still  impenitent  Israel, —  (v.  35).  He  will  judge 
His  people,  eliminating  sins  by  punishment,  or  He  will  judge  them 
and  repent  when  He  sees  how  low  they  have  come  through  the 
evils  of  vv.  24-26  or  v.  36  line  1.  The  gods  in  whom  His  people 
trusted  will  then  be  of  no  avail  (v.  37,  38,  compare  w.  18-20).  With 
an  oath  (vv.  39,40)  He  swears  vengeance  on  Israel  and  His  foes 
(w.  41,  42) . 

Note  on  v.  U3.  “The  above  portrayed  destiny  of  Israel:  Apos¬ 
tacy,  punishment,  conversion,  deliverance  from  foes,  reveals  to  the 
heathen  also  the  hand  of  Jehovah,  and  leads  them  to  praise  Him 
and  call  His  people  blessed,  possibly  against  their  will,  as  did  Ba¬ 
laam  (Num.  24:5ff;  Isa.  49:23;  Mai.  3:12).  The  conversion  of  the 
Gentiles  does  not  directly  follow,  but  Israel  is  a  blessing  in  the 
earth  (Isa.  19:24),  a  people  whose  salvation  will  be  acknowledged 


60 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


by  all,  and  will  lead  the  nations  to  desire  to  have  a  share  in  their 
God.”  Strack  Com.  in  loco. 

5.  The  Day  of  Jehovah.  This  chapter  (Dent.  32)  and  especial¬ 
ly  w.  22-25,  39-43,  forms  the  basis  of  the  prediction  of  the  judg¬ 
ment,  the  Day  of  Jehovah.  We  put  here  the  other  Pentateuch  ref¬ 
erences  to  this  day. 

a)  Ex.  23:20-23.  God  in  the  angel  will  be  in  Israel  (v.  20) 
and  fight  for  them  if  they  obey. 

b)  Lev.  26.  There  are  here  promised  (1)  all  manner  of  bless¬ 
ings  on  obedience  (vv.  3-12),  (2)  all  manner  of  curse  on  disobedi¬ 
ence  (vv.  13-39),  (3)  pardon  in  case  of  repentance  (vv.  40-45). 

c)  Deut.  28.  Here  also  are  blessings  on  obedience  (w.  1-14) , 
(2)  curses  on  disobedience  (15-68),  (3)  acceptance  on  return  to 
God  (Deut.  30). 


Summary  of  Chapter  Three. 

We  here  come  on  the  stage  of  Israel  as  a  nation,  as  a  priestly, 
royal  and  prophetic  people  devoted  to  God.  They  are  His  son,  His 
firstborn  with  an  eye  to  the  rest  of  the  race,  to  rule  in  His  name 
and  to  mediate  as  priestly  people.  Universal  blessing  comes  through 
Israel  as  center  (Deut.  32:8).  An  everlasting  priesthood  rises  and 
is  looked  for.  The  future  of  Israel  is  outlined  by  Moses  and  their 
success  or  failure  will  depend  on  their  obedience  to  God.  Yet 
should  they  fall  away  and  return,  they  will  be  received  by  an  ever 
merciful  God  and  Father. 

Literature  on  this  Chapter. 

Briggs,  pages  100-120;  Orelli,  125-147;  Davidson  16-29; 
Beecher  217-228;  Ottley  131-145. 


THE  DAVID-SOLOMON  PERIOD 


61 


CHAPTER  FOUR. 

THE  DAVID-SOLOMON  PERIOD. 

§  30.  Judg.  5.  The  Song  of  Deborah.  (Davidson  c.  III). 

1.  The  Struggles  of  Jehovahism.  This  struggle  with  heathen¬ 
ism  characterizes  the  Period  of  the  Judges.  The  Israelites  were 
cast  into  a  weltering  mass  of  heathenism  and  had  to  fight  to  main¬ 
tain  their  religious  purity.  Their  own  constant  tendency  away 
from  Jehovah,  plus  the  material  attractions  of  heathenism  brought 
forth  an  illegitimate  religion  of  syncretism  (Gideon.  Judg  8  and  9). 

2.  The  Force  for  the  Good.  The  intervention  of  Jehovah,  when 
the  need  was  greatest,  was  what  kept  the  ship  from  foundering. 
Note  the  plan  of  the  book  in  Judg.  3:7-11  and  the  successive  Judg¬ 
es  as  deliverers,  men  of  God  who  led  Israel  back  to  Jehovah. 

3.  The  Song  of  Jehovah’s  Supremacy .  The  song  in  this  chap¬ 
ter  is  a  praise  of  Jehovah  (v.  3).  “The  stars  in  their  courses 
fought  for  Jehovah  (v.  20).”  The  angel  orders  Meroz  cursed  for 
not  helping  Jehovah  (v.  23).  It  prays  for  Jehovah’s  success  (v. 
31).  The  song  records  the  progress  of  the  cause  and  Kingdom  of 
God  and  is  in  so  far  forth  Messianic.  The  Second  Person  in  the 
trinity,  for  whom  and  through  whom  all  things  have  come  to  be 
(John  1:1,  2)  “and  upholding  all  things  by  the  word  of  His  power” 
(Heb.  1:1,  2),  carried  the  chosen  people  of  whom  He  is  the  center, 
through  this  period  of  storm  and  stress. 

U.  Heathen  Elements.  There  is  no  historic  evidence  that  any 
heathen  elements  were  taken  up  by  the  genuine,  legitimate,  Jeho¬ 
vah  worship,  and  the  presumption  is  that  there  were  not.  (David¬ 
son  30-39). 

§.  31.  1  Sam.  2:1-10,  esp.  10.  Jehovah  and  His  Anointed. 

1.  The  Historic  Setting .  After  long  and  intense  prayer  to  Je¬ 
hovah,  Hannah  gave  birth  to  a  son.  Her  reproach  in  her  home  was 
thus  taken  away  by  God.  This  was  the  occasion  of  a  poem  in 
which  she  generalizes  the  principle  of  divine  government.  God 
raised  her  up.  He  always  raises  up  the  lowly. 


62 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


2.  Jehovah  Judge  of  all  the  earth  (1  Sam.  2:3c,  d,  10).  Here 
the  judge  not  only  decides  the  case  and  pronounces  sentence  but 
executes  it.  He  espouses  the  cause  of  the  weak,  is  against  the 
haughty  and  proud,  and  lifts  up  the  poor  and  needy  (2:4-9). 

3.  His  Messiah.  (The  4th  and  5th  lines  in  v.  10).  Because 
He  is  such  a  Judge  he  will  establish  the  cause  of  His  Messiah,  His 
anointed,  His  King.  The  idea  of  a  king  in  Israel  is  here  looked 
upon  as  God-willed  and  is  not  entirely  new  in  Israel.  There  were 
kings  over  the  people  round  about  them  (Gen.  14,  Ex.  1:8),  and 
promised  for  Israel  to  Abraham  and  Sarah  (Gen.  17:6,  16)  and  to 
Jacob  (Gen.  35:11).  Regulations  for  a  king’s  election  and  life 
were  given  by  Moses  (Deut.  17:14-17).  Here  in  1  Sam.  2:10  Jeho¬ 
vah  will  set  up  a  King  and  an  Anointed  One,  Meshiach,  a  Messiah. 

U.  Fulfillment.  Luke  1:46-55,  the  Magnificat,  is  an  echo  of  this 
song  of  Hannah,  a  realization  of  what  was  here  longed  for, — the 
Anointed,  the  Christ  had  arrived. 

§.  32.  1  Sam.  2:27-36,  esp.  33,  34.  The  Faithful  Priest. 

1.  The  Fall  of  Eli's  House.  The  cause  of  the  fall  was  the  sins 
of  Eli’s  sons  (2:12,  16c,  17,  29),  and  this  was  caused  by  Eli’s  lack 
of  discipline  (2:22,  25,  29).  The  coming  of  the  fall  was  revealed 
through  a  “man  of  God”  (2:27-36),  and  to  Samuel  (3:10-14).  This 
was  a  reversal  of  the  promise  in  2:30. 

2.  The  Doom  of  Eli's  House  (2:31-35).  There  was  not  to  be 
an  old  man  in  his  house  (v.  31).  Eli  was  to  see  the  fall  of  the 
sanctuary  (v.  32),  and  the  extinction  of  his  house  (w.  33,  34). 

3.  The  Priest  Successor'  (2:35).  The  successor  to  the  house 
of  Eli  was  to  be  a  man  after  God’s  own  heart,  a  priest  forever  be¬ 
fore  God’s  anointed  (cp.  2:10). 

U.  Eli's  Descendents.  If  there  were  any  left  at  all  they  were 
to  be  so  poor  that  they  will  have  to  beg  a  crust  of  bread  at  the 
hands  of  the  true  priest  and  successor  (v.  36)  who  will  be  High 
Priest  (Heb.  2:17;  4:15). 

§.  33.  1  Sam.  16:1-13.  The  Anointing  of  David. 

1.  The  Israelite  King.  The  conception  of  the  Israelite  king  is 
the  Messiah,  the  anointed,  God-endowed  One.  Even  Saul,  as  the 
anointed  one  was  sacred  to  Jehovah  (1  Sam.  10;  and  24:6,  7;  26: 
9),  that  is,  he  was  meshiach  yahweh,  the  Messiah  of  Jehovah. 


THE  DAVID-SOLOMON  PERIOD 


63 


Israel’s  covenant  relation  to  Jehovah  culminated  in  a  king,  not  a 
man  deified  but  the  representative  of  the  people  and  of  God.  While 
elected  by  the  people  he  was  the  gift  of  God  to  them  (1  Sam.  9  and 
16:1,  7,  12),  and  through  the  prophet  he  was  always  subject  to 
God.  Of  all  the  kings  that  ruled  in  Israel  it  seems  that  only  David 
was  a  man  after  God’s  own  heart  (1  Sam.  13:14).  The  throne  of 
David  was  never  absolute,  but  always  within  the  limits  of  the 
Torah,  the  constitution,  laid  down  by  Moses  in  the  Pentateuch.  At 
first  David  was  chosen  for  his  own  sake.  Later  his  house  was  given 
hereditary  possession  of  the  throne  (2  Sam.  7,  14-18)  but  still  as 
it  appears  subject  to  the  will  of  the  people  as  in  the  case  of  Reho- 
boam  when  at  least  a  part  of  the  people  seceded.  God  seems  not  to 
have  regarded  the  possession  of  the  throne  by  the  house  of  David 
subject  to  recall.  At  the  time  of  David,  the  Israelites  had  God’s 
law,  His  land,  a  priesthood,  a  prophetic  order,  a  monarchy  and  a 
local  center.  Henceforth  they  had  their  mission,  but  needed  dis¬ 
cipline  and  spiritualizing.  Perhaps  this  was  aided  by  the  division 
of  the  kingdom. 

2.  The  Theocratic  Import  of  the  Anointing.  The  anointing  of 
David,  as  a  “man  after  God’s  own  heart,”  that  is  in  his  capacity 
as  king,  eliminates  the  anti-theocratic  element  in  their  request  for 
a  king,  like  the  kings  of  the  nations”  (8:5;  13:14;  15:22,  23), 
which  was  an  element  in  Saul’s  rule  and  came  to  a  head  in  his 
insubordination  to  his  Overlord,  Jehovah,  the  real  King  of  Israel. 
David  became  the  ideal  king  and  Messianic  type,  of  the  succeeding 
kings,  and  his  kingdom  became  the  type  of  the  Kingdom  of  God 
(2  Kings  1:32,  33). 

3.  The  Spirit  of  Jehovah.  (1  Sam.  16:13).  At  Saul’s  anoint¬ 
ing  the  spirit  of  Jehovah  turned  him  into  another  man  (10:6).  It 
endowed  him,  the  king  elect,  with  ability  for  his  work  (cp.  Num. 
11:29;  Judg.  6:34;  14:6).  When  Saul  failed  to  do  his  part,  when 
he  set  his  own  will  over  against  the  will  of  God,  the  spirit,  the  king- 
spirit  (?)  left  him  and  an  evil,  self-spirit  (?)  took  its  place.  The 
spirit  went  from  Saul  to  David  (16:13,  14).  The  spirit  seems 
to  have  been  and  now  is,  the  plastic  dunamis,  dynamic  force,  that 
molded  the  theocracy  or  kingdom,  and  finally  filled  the  Christ,  the 
incarnation  of  the  kingdom,  that  is  of  the  King.  (Matt.  3:16,  17; 
John  3:34;  1  Sam.  16:13,  14;  Rom.  8  and  2  Cor.  2:10-16). 

4-  IsrueVs  Hope.  Israel’s  hope  for  the  future  is  here  begin¬ 
ning  to  be  realized,  at  least  so  far  as  David,  the  ideal  king,  or 


64 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


type  is  concerned.  Thus  the  promise  to  Abraham  (Gen.  17:6,  16), 
to  Jacob  (Gen.  35:11),  of  Balaam's  star  (Num.  24:17)  and  Han¬ 
nah’s  hope  (1  Sam.  2:10)  all  begin  to  take  on  form  and  substance. 

Note.  On  §§  31,  32,  and  33  see  A.  B.  Davidson,  chapter  IV. 

§  34.  2  Sam.  7:11-16.  The  Covenant  With  David.  1  Chron.  17:10-17. 

1.  The  Adoption  of  David’s  Seed.  This  was  divine  adoption, 
not  of  David  personally,  but  of  his  seed  (7:12,  19).  The  word  zera, 
seed,  is  a  collective  idea.  “The  sure  mercies  of  David  (Isa.  55:3) 
look  beyond  Solomon.  So  does  “thy  servant's  house  a  long  time  to 
come"  (v.  19).  The  sonship  of  Israel  (Ex.  4:22;  Deut.  32:6)  is 
now  given  in  concentrated  form  to  the  house  (son)  of  David,  con¬ 
ditioned  on  or  consisting  in  ethical  relationship,  which  in  this  case 
was  to  be  personal  and  individual  so  as  to  be  perfected,  because  to 
be  ethical  there  must  be  an  individual  will. 

2.  Chastened  but  not  Rejected.  7:14,  15.  The  sonship  is  in¬ 
alienable,  a  rod,  not  a  sword  is  the  instrument  of  punishment  to  be 
used  on  him  (v.  14).  Heathen  kings  are  gods  and  not  disciplined 
by  the  gods,  hence  they  are  not  morally  responsible.  There  is  here 
chastizement  and  mercy  (Heb.  12:6).  Sin  makes  supremacy  and 
victory  difficult,  but  not  impossible.  Saul  lost  his  crown,  but  here 
the  crown  is  assured. 

3.  An  Everlasting  Dynasty.  7:12,  13,  16.  The  idea  “forever” 
is  here  positive,  for  it  concerns  God,  it  is  God  the  eternal  that  says 
it.  He  also  says,  “I  will  establish"  (vv.  12,  13),  “made  sure"  (v. 
16),  and  the  word  “forever"  is  three  times  repeated  (vv.  13,  16). 
And  again  God  says,  “my  loving  kindness  shall  not  depart  from 
him"  (v.  15).  David  also  understands  the  revelation  and  promise 
to  be  forever  (vv.  19,  24,  25,  26,  29).  The  same  idea  is  found  in 
(Ps.  89:28,  29,  34,  35-37).  It  was  forever  (7:13)  an  everlasting 
covenant  (2  Sam.  23:5).  Royalty  was  to  be  permanent  in  David’s 
house  and  in  the  land  of  Palestine  (?)  (1  Chron.  22:8). 

4,.  The  Divine  Presence  in  the  Temple.  2  Sam.  7:13a,  cp.  v.  10. 
This  house  built  for  Jehovah  brings  the  dwelling  in  the  tents  of 
Shem  (Gen.  9:24-27)  and  in  Israel  (Ex.  25:9)  into  relation  with 
the  Son  of  David,  the  king. 

5.  The  Fulfillment.  This  took  place  in  several  ways. 

a)  In  Jesus  who  was  a  Son  of  David  (Matt.  9:27;  15:22;  20: 
30;  Rom.  1:3),  being  addressed  as  such  and  hosannas  were  ascribed 
to  him  as  Son  of  David  (Matt.  21:9,  15)  and  not  resented  by  Him. 


THE  DAVID-SOLOMON  PERIOD 


65 


b)  Joseph  the  Husband  of  Mary.  The  legal  father  of  Jesus 
was  the  son  of  David  (Matt.  1:27;  Luke  1:27).  Jesus  was  of  the 
seed  of  David  perhaps  through  his  mother,  physically,  and  merely 
legally  through  Joseph,  the  Bible  makes  very  little,  relatively,  of 
the  physical  descent. 

e)  Eternity  only  in  Jesus.  The  everlasting  reign  of  the  house  of 
David  could  not  be  ascribed  to  a  mere  man.  The  scepter  in  Num. 
24:17  is,  here  in  David’s  house,  everlasting  and  so  must  be  in  the 
hands  of  Jesus.  The  Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Juda  (Gen.  49:9)  is 
Jesus ,  “the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah”  (Rev.  5:5).  So  the  seed 
of  Gen.  3:16  is  here  focused  in  the  Son  of  David. 

d)  The  Ideal  Temple.  The  soul  of  the  temple  and  of  the  taber¬ 
nacle  before  it  (Ex.  25:8)  is  the  indwelling  God.  The  ideal  is 
Jesus  “in  whom  dwells  the  Godhead  bodily”  (Col.  2:9;  John  2:19- 
22;  1  Cor.  3:16,  17  etc.).  The  temple  in  its  true  sense  remained 
unbuilt  even  in  Zech.  6:12.  In  this  passage  the  Person  who  was 
king  and  priest  in  one  was  called  Branch  and  is  still  future  in  His 
work  of  building  the  house  of  God  (Compare  2  Sam.  7:13  with 
John  2:19-22).  The  house  built  by  Solomon  was  a  symbol  of  Is¬ 
rael,  among  whom  and  in  whom  Jehovah  dwelt.  It  was  dedicated 
by  the  entrance  of  the  ark,  the  symbol  of  Jehovah’s  presence  (1 
Kings  8:46).  It  was  later  desecrated  by  Jehovah’s  leaving  the 
house  because  of  their  sins  (Ezek.  8:6),  and  when  their  sins,  which 
caused  Him  to  leave,  are  removed  He  will  dwell  with  them  again 
and  forever  (Ezek.  43:6-9;  37:26,  27;  Luke  13:35). 

6.  General  Remarks  on  2  Sam.  7:12-16.  This  passage  is  the 
foundation  of  all  subsequent  Messianic  prophecy  in  the  prophets 
and  the  Psalms.  The  echo  of  these  words  is  heard  until  they  are 
taken  up  by  the  angel  in  the  Annunciation.  (Isa.  4:2;  7:14;  8:8; 
Ps.  89;  Jer.  33:15;  Zech.  3:8;  Luke  1:22,  23). 

§  35.  Psalm  Types. 

The  Israelite  kingdom  reached  its  climax  in  David-Solomon. 
Hence  their  life  and  songs,  in  spite  of  inherent  imperfections,  are 
typical  of  Him  who  is  the  embodiment  of  the  kingdom  in  its  true 
spiritual  sense.  Especially  the  psalms  are  typical.  It  seems  (1) 
that  special  occasions  were  celebrated  and  later  Messianically  inter¬ 
preted  (Ps.  45,  Orelli  page  167).  (2)  The  dangers  and  oppositions 

which  Israel  had  to  face  brought  sufferings  and  humiliations  in 
which  they  were  the  forerunners  of  the  Christ.  (3)  David  was  the 

3 


66 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


type  of  the  believing  soul  of  the  true,  God-devoted  king.  All  this 
was,  under  the  Spirit’s  guidance,  idealized  in  the  psalms  and  to  be 
realized  in  the  Christ.  All  poetry  idealizes,  universalizes  the  par¬ 
ticular,  but  the  inspired  idealization  is  of  superhuman  origin,  and 
so  is  made  real  in  the  Christ.  “David  idealized  himself  as  the 
anointed  and  so  became  prophetic”  (Delitach  on  Ps.  22). 

David,  or  the  son  of  David,  was  close  to  God  the  true  King. 
He  was  vice-king,  representing  God  to  the  people  and  the  people 
before  God,  that  is,  as  the  impersonation  of  the  national  covenant, 
or  theocracy,  he  represents  the  people  before  God,  he  is  priest- 
king.  Under  prophetic  stimulus  this  idea  made  itself  felt,  as  in  the 
regal  psalms,  where  a  Davidic  kingdom  is  God-chosen.  God  is 
invoked  for  it  or  for  the  king  etc.  (Orelli  page  168). 

We  have  the  following  groups  of  Messianic  psalms. 

1.  Regal  Psalms.  Ps.  20,  On  going  forth  to  war;  Ps.  21,  The 
king’s  birthday;  Ps.  45,  The  king’s  marriage  with  a  king’s  daugh¬ 
ter;  Ps.  18,  War  and  triumph;  Ps.  72,  Not  martial  valor,  but  regal 
justice  are  like  dew  and  rain  on  the  land  (1  Kings  3:5;  2  Sam. 
23:4).  2.  Passion  Psalms.  David’s  suffering  from  persecution  was 
unmerited,  malignant.  In  him  we  see  the  image  of  the  glorious 
King  and  mysterious  Martyr.  These  psalms  reach  beyond  David 
and  so  in  their  ideal  are  fulfilled  in  the  Son  of  David.  Psalms  by 
David  are  2;  4;  6;  7;  11;  17;  18;  22;  41.  Davidic  are,  41,  where 
the  person  is  a  king  (w.  5,  7,  10) ;  innocent  (v.  12),  and  a  traitor 
is  mentioned  (v.  9,  cp.  John  13:18).  Davidlike  suffering  is  found 
in  Ps.  54;  56;  57;  59;  22. 

§  36.  Psalm  8.  The  Ideal  Man.  (Beecher  313-343). 

1.  Gen.  1:26,  27.  This  psalm  is  a  poetic  version  and  expansion 
of  Gen.  1:26,  27.  In  the  psalm  the  details  of  man’s  dominion  are 
given. 

2.  Contrasts.  There  is  a  contrast  given  between  man’s  phy¬ 
sical  insignificance  as  compared  with  the  illimitable  heavens  above, 
that  is  with  the  universe  (v.  3,  4).  Man’s  great  dignity  in  the 
moral  and  spiritual  estimation  is  to  be  realized  in  the  day  of  his 
completion  (v.  5).  Lordship  is  the  result  of  his  mental,  moral 
and  spiritual  worth  (vv.  6-8).  Man  is  what  he  is  by  the  grace  of 
God.  His  greatness  is  rooted  in  his  relation  to  God  (v.  5). 

3.  New  Testament  Fulfillment.  In  Heb.  2:5-10  the  psalm  is 
applied  to  Jesus  as  the  first  fruits,  the  Man  pre-eminently.  In 


THE  DAVID-SOLOMON  PERIOD 


67 


Jesus  and  through  Jesus  this  lordship  is  realized  (2:10).  Even 
Jesus  himself  is  not  yet  Lord  of  all.  (2:9).  In  1  Corinthians  15: 
45-49  the  second  Adam,  or  man,  is  said  to  be  pneuma  zoopoioun,  a 
life  giving  spirit,  while  the  first  Adam  is  merely  psyche  zosan,  a 
living  soul.  Hence  Jesus  is  not  only  the  realized  man,  but  the 
source  of  the  true  man.  The  plural  of  the  verb  “let  us  make” 
(Gen.  1:26)  implies  the  divine  fullness  of  the  realized  man 
(Eph.  1:22). 

§  37.  Psalm  16,  vv.  9-11.  The  Ideal  Man  Triumphant  in  Death. 

1.  Fellowship  of  Man  with  God.  Man  made  in  the  image  of 
God  is  made  for  fellowship  with  Him  (Ps.  8  and  1  Cor.  1:9).  With 
this  compare  Enoch  who  walked  with  God  and  was  taken  to  Him 
(Gen.  5:24)  and  Noah  (Gen.  6:9)  and  others.  But  fellowship  is 
a  voluntary  and  active  relation.  “In  thee  do  I  take  refuge”  (16:1). 
“I  have  no  good  beyond  thee  (v.  2).  Even  the  indirect  fellowship 
with  God  through  His  saints,  the  ideal  man  chooses  (v.  3).  He 
drinks  life  and  love  out  of  God  as  out  of  a  cup  (v.  5),  and  his  real 
fellowship  with  God  (16:10). 

2.  After-death  Fellowship  with  God  (16:10).  This  fellowship 
which  in  this  life  is  his  all  and  in  all  (vv.  2,  5,  6)  will  be  so  essen¬ 
tial  and  necessary  to  man,  will  be  so  real,  having  its  source  in  God 
the  eternal,  that  it  cannot  end  even  in  death  or  sheol  (v.  10).  David 
is  conscious  of  union  with  God,  and  sure  of  its  continuance  even  in 
death.  He  does  not  use  the  Hebrew  negative  ’al,  as  is  done  in  peti¬ 
tion,  but  lo’  and  so  expresses  the  conviction  that  God  will  not  for¬ 
sake  him  in  death.  This  is  a  bold  faith  in  immortality,  as  is  also 
found  in  Ps.  73:23-28,  where  God  is  his  all,  his  strength  forever 
(73:23,  24).  Those  who  forsake  God  will  perish  (73:27;  Ps.  49: 
14,  15). 

Note.  In  Acts  (2:25;  13:34)  this  psalm  is  applied  to  Jesus. 

§  38.  Psalrri  110.  The  Conquering  King. 

1.  Outline  of  the  Psalm.  According  to  Matt.  22:41-45,  David 
is  here  speaking  of  the  coming,  promised  King  of  2  Sam.  7 : 14-18. 
So  he  has  in  mind  the  Messiah  in  2  Sam.  23:3b-5.  The  speaker  is 
David  and  he  speaks  of  his  son  as  his  lord,  hence  the  Messiah. 
Some  make  the  speaker  to  be  a  prophet,  bringing  a  message  from 
Jehovah  to  the  king,  the  prophet’s  lord.  So  Orelli,  and  Kessler  in 
Com.  on  Psalm  110.  The  message  further  states  that  Jehovah  had 


68 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


a  place  for  him  at  His  side  (v.  6) ;  that  Jehovah  will  give  him 
victory  over  his  foes  (cp.  Ps.  2:8,  9)  ;  that  his  own  people  will  be 
loyal  to  him,  and  that  he  will  rule  as  Priest-King  for  ever.  After 
the  above  decree,  the  conquest  is  described  (110:5-7). 

Hence  the  outline,  1-4,  the  decree,  v.  5,  His  rule,  vv.  5-7,  Con¬ 
quest  (Mark  12:35-37). 

2.  The  Co-regent  with  God.  V.  1.  Perhaps  the  fact  that  the 
throne  of  David  was  by  the  side  of  the  ark  was  the  symbol  of  this 
spiritual  fact,  that  Jehovah  was  by  the  side  of  the  king,  that  is,  it 
was  the  sacramental  sign  of  the  divine  presence.  Being  by  the  side 
of  Jehovah,  the  king  shares  the  honor  and  power  of  God. 

3.  Victory  over  Foes  by  Jehovah.  110:1b,  2.  The  real  con¬ 
queror  here  is  Jehovah,  the  king  being  only  a  vessel  or  instrument 
(cp.  Judg.  6:34;  Rev.  6:2  where  the  Lord  does  the  conquering). 
He  shares  the  toil  and  danger,  being  anointed  to  wrestle  as  well 
as  to  reign.  There  is  here  a  warlike  element  in  the  king  (Rev.  19: 
13-16;  2  Thess.  2:8).  These  wars  bring  the  world  to  the  feet  of 
Jesus  and  so  serve  His  purpose  of  love. 

J^..  Zion,  the  Seat  of  the  Kingdom.  110:2,  Cp.  Ps.  2:6.  This 
also  is  symbolic,  the  seat  of  the  then  kingdom  of  God,  and  the  place 
of  the  divine  presence  which  later  was  to  be  in  Jesus  (Col.  2:9)  and 
in  the  heart  of  His  people  (John  4:22-23;  Heb.  10:19-21;  1  Cor. 
3:16;  6:19). 

5.  The  Priestly  Volunteer  Army,  110:2,  3.  The  King’s  sub¬ 
jects  are  holy,  in  “priestly  garments,”  abundant,  fresh  as  the 
sparkling  dew  of  the  morning. 

6.  The  Davidic  King  as  Priest-King,  110:4.  This  verse  being 
the  middle  one  of  the  seven,  seems  to  be  focal.  Priesthood  is  added 
to  the  royalty  of  Psalm  2:7  and  2  Sam.  7:12-16.  There  is  added 
here  the  confirmation  by  the  solemn  oath  of  the  Most  High.  King 
and  priest  in  one  have  the  quality  that  enables  the  one  to  be  eter¬ 
nal,  the  promise  of  an  eternal  office.  It  is  not  sure  that  David  was 
in  any  sense  a  priest,  or  that  he  ever  officiated  as  such,  hence  this 
was  then  an  idea  which,  as  to  its  realization,  was  still  future. 
There  is  also  here  an  idealization  of  a  present  kingship,  but  a  new 
idea  is  creatively  revealed  from  God,  to  be  realized  in  the  future  in 
Jesus  and  not  in  any  earthly  ruler,  not  even  in  David,  for  David 
distinguishes  between  himself  and  this  Lord  of  his  (Matt.  22: 
41-45). 


THE  DAVID-SOLOMON  PERIOD 


69 


7.  Neiv  Testament  Fulfillment.  Heb.  7  argues  that  Melchize- 
dek  was  superior,  as  priest,  to  the  Aaronic  priesthood  (Heb.  7:4- 
10).  So  Jesus  was  priest,  not  by  inheritance,  but  like  Melchizadek, 
by  direct  appointment  for  his  own  sake  personally  (7:3,  15,  16,  17), 
and  as  He  is  immortal  it  is  a  priesthood  for  ever  (7:23,24),  and 
sworn  to  by  an  oath  (7:20).  The  idea  of  a  union  of  priest  and 
king  lies  in  the  fact  that  Jesus  was  of  the  royal  tribe  of  Judah  and 
not  of  the  priestly  Levitical  tribe  (7:13,  14).  Like  Melchizedek, 
He  was  not  only  Priest  (7:11),  but  King  also  (7:2).  In  fact  Mel¬ 
chizedek  is  introduced  as  “king  of  Salem  and  priest  of  God”  (7:1). 
It  was  a  priest  on  a  throne  (Heb.  8:1;  10:11,  12).  In  Ps.  110:5-7 
there  seems  to  be  the  description  of  the  realization  of  the  ideal 
under  God  and  by  His  aid,  perhaps  the  last  conflict  and  the  one 
from  which  the  Priest-King  comes  forth  weary  but  refreshed  by 
Jehovah  (110:7). 

§  39.  Psalm  2.  The  Enthroned  Son  of  God — Messiah. 

1.  Outline  of  the  Psalm,  (a)  Rebellion, — scene  on  earth,  vv. 

1-3.  (b)  Jehovah’s  answer, — scene  in  heaven,  vv.  4-6.  (c)  The 

decree,  the  Son, — scene  in  Zion,  vv.  7-9.  (d)  Admonition,  vv.  10-12. 

2.  The  Enthroned  Messiah.  Ps.  2:6-9.  This  is  the  divine 
decree. 

a)  Messiah  versus  the  Rebels.  In  the  face  of  the  rebellious 
hosts,  God  declares  He  has  a  fixed  throne  for  His  King.  In  v.  6 
instead  of  “Yet  I”  the  Hebrew  has  simply  “and  I”  with  the  I  em¬ 
phatic  and  set  against  the  hosts.  This  is  all  that  is  needed  as  a 
defense  against  their  uprising.  Zion  is  the  capital  of  His  kingdom, 
the  center  of  His  realm. 

b)  Contents  of  the  Decree,  v.  6.  He  is  the  Son  of  God  de¬ 
clared  or  crowned  as  such.  Today,  means  now,  perhaps  the  eternal 
now,  or  it  expresses  certainty.  This  stresses  the  sonship,  and  so 
“against  His  apointed”  (v.  2)  is  against  Jehovah  Himself.  “Take 
counsel  ...  it  shall  not  stand, — for  God  is  with  us”  (Isa.  8:8-10). 

3.  The  Gift  of  the  Nations.  2:8.  This  includes  the  nations  of 
the  whole  earth.  They  are  given,  not  without  their  choice,  for  this 
is  demanded  by  the  ethical  nature  of  God,  and  man  made  in  His 
image.  Though  force  may  lead  the  way  (are  they  not  clay  in  His 
hands?),  yet  free-will  is  an  essential  element  in  God  and  man. 
Hence  the  author  admonishes  the  nations  to  submit  of  their  own 
free  will  lest  God’s  anger  be  aroused.  The  very  love  of  God  does 
not  brook  endless  resistance  (Ps.  110;  2  Sam.  7). 


70 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


4-  The  New  Testament.  Acts  4:25  applies  this  passage  (Ps. 
2:1)  to  the  persecution  of  Jesus  by  the  elders  and  rulers  (Acts 
4:8),  by  Herod  and  Pilate  (Acts  4:27).  The  psalm  has  not  yet 
been  realized,  when  it  is  realized  it  will  be  so  under  Jesus  (Acts 
13:32,  33).  In  Rom.  1:4  we  have  a  parallel  to  “this  day  have  I 
begotten  thee.”  Here  Jesus  is  declared  to  be  the  Son  of  God  by 
the  resurrection  from  the  dead,  which  event  gives  proof  of  His 
divine  sonship.  That  Heb.  1:5  applies  this  psalm  to  Jesus  does  not 
prevent  us  from  applying  it  primarily  and  in  a  lower  sense  to 
David. 

§  40.  Psalm  24.  Zion,  the  Abode  of  the  Jehovah-King. 

1.  The  Psalm.  When  David  brought  up  the  ark,  that  is  the 
symbol  of  God’s  presence,  to  dwell  with  him  in  the  Holy  City,  the 
question  was,  Who  is  able,  or  fit  to  dwell  with  God  in  this  holy 
place?  and  when  assured  that  Jacob,  the  true  Israel  was  able  be¬ 
cause  clean  of  hand  and  pure  of  heart,  Jehovah  comes  dramatically 
to  enter  His  sacred  city. 

2.  God  with  His  People  in  Zion.  This  is  the  divine  line  of 
prophecy,  the  descent  of  Jehovah.  See  the  idea  in  Shem  (Gen.  9: 
27)  and  the  tabernacle  in  Israel  (Ex.  25:8).  Zion  localizes  the 
idea  of  the  Church  of  God,  and  this  Zion  is  henceforth  the  pou  sto, 
the  fulcrum  for  all  of  God’s  actions.  It  is  His  abode  (Ps.  2:6; 
Joel  4:21;  Isa.  8:18;  Jer.  8:19).  The  Messiah’s  throne  is  here 
(Ps.  2:6)  and  Jehovah’s  house  and  temple  (Isa.  2:2).  It  is  the 
city  of  the  Great  King  (Ps.  48:2),  where  He  reveals  Himself  (Ps. 
110:2;  Amos  1:2;  Joel  3:16).  Here  is  the  abode  of  the  blessed 
redeemed  (Ob.  17;  Isa.  25:6-8).  From  here  God  works  on  the 
world  (Am.  1:2).  It  is  the  symbol  of  the  Church  (Gal.  4:24-26). 

§  41.  Psalm  18:43-50  (2  Sam.  22:44-51).  Jehovah’s  Advent  as  De¬ 
liverer. 

1.  Outline  of  the  Psalm.  The  subject  is  the  Delivererance  of 

David.  A)  The  Deliverance  (w.  1-19)  (a)  David’s  address  to  Jeho¬ 
vah  (1,  2)  ;  (b)  His  call  on  God  in  his  distress  (3-6)  ;  (c)  Theo- 
phany  amidst  terrors  (7-15);  David  delivered  (16-19).  B)  The 
cause  of  the  deliverance  (vv.  20-30)  ;  (a)  David’s  loyalty  to  God 

(20-24);  (b)  God’s  faithfulness  (25-30).  C)  Thanks  and  praise 
for  deliverance  (31-50). 

2.  David  as  God’s  Anointed.  As  such  he  is  (a)  Delivered  from 


THE  DAVID-SOLOMON  PERIOD 


71 


his  enemies  (vv.  30-39)  ;  (b)  given  the  victory  over  his  foes  (40- 
42)  ;  (c)  made  king  over  the  Gentiles  (43-45,  cp.  Ps.  2:8,  9)  ;  (d) 
defended  by  Jehovah  against  their  attacks  (46-48).  (e)  All  this  is 
done  because  he  is  God’s  anointed  (v.  50a),  but  especially  (f)  will 
God  care  for  David’s  seed  (v.  50c;  cp.  2  Sam.  7:12). 

§  42.  2  Sam.  23:1-7.  David’s  Swan  Song. 

1.  The  Inspiration  of  David ,  vv.  l-3a.  These  are  the  last 
words  of  David  (v.  1).  He  claims  for  this  oracle,  divine  inspira¬ 
tion.  Compare  Balaam’s  claim  (Num.  24:3,  4,  16).  He  had  the 
spirit  of  God  (1  Sam.  16:13).  This  is  not  said  of  Solomon  who 
was  only  anointed  (1  Kings  1:39)  with  a  political  anointing,  and 
his  gift  was  the  spirit  of  wisdom  (1  Kings  3:12).  Solomon  phil¬ 
osophized  on  the  faith  in  the  soul  of  Israel.  He  was  a  man  of  rest 
(1  Chron.  22:9)  and  enjoyed  the  fruits  of  David’s  war  and  strife, 
but  David  was  inspired. 

2.  The  True  King,  23:3,  4.  This  is  a  picture  of  the  genuine 
king,  righteous,  God-fearing,  glorious.  In  contrast  with  this  is  the 
ungodly,  which  are  as  a  thorn  hedge,  fit  only  for  the  fire  (2  Sam. 
23:6,  8). 

3.  The  Sure  Covenant  of  the  Future,  v.  5.  David  sees  that  the 
picture  of  vv.  3,  4  is  not  for  him  personally  nor  for  the  present 
generation.  This  he  means  when  he  says,  “For  it  is  all  my  salva¬ 
tion  and  all  my  desire,  although  he  maketh  it  not  to  grow,”  that 
is,  not  now.  But  God’s  covenant  he  is  sure  of  for  he  calls  it  “an 
everlasting  covenant.”  This  is  the  covenant  of  2  Sam.  7:12-16, 
the  sure  mercies  of  David  (Isa.  55:3).  David  dies,  but  the  king 
will  live.  According  to  Orelli  verse  3  is  conditional,  v.  4  the  con- 
clusian,  and  also  v.  5  the  application  to  David’s  own  house. 

§  43.  Psalm  72.  The  Righteous  King. 

1.  Outline  of  the  Psalm.  A)  Petition  (vv.  1-7)  as  to  the  nature 
of  the  kingdom  or  rule  of  the  king,  (a)  May  God  help  him  to  rule 
in  righteousness  (1-4)  and  (b)  cause  the  rule  to  endure  forever 
(5-7)  ;  B)  May  he  have  universal  dominion  and  world-wide  sway 
(8-14)  ;  and  C)  May  his  kingdom  be  blessed  as  well  as  enduring 
(15-19). 

2.  Indirectly  Messianic.  The  psalmist  sees  the  king  of  his  day 
(Solomon?)  in  the  light  of  the  Messianic  king,  which  may  have 
been  done  in  the  case  of  any  Israelites  king  since  the  time  of  2  Sam. 
7.  It  may  be  Solomon’s  ideal  of  himself. 


72 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


The  psalm  speaks  of  a  kingdom  wide  in  extent  (72:8-10),  of 
peace  without  trouble  (v.  7),  not  of  war  but  of  Godlike  justice 
(1-5),  the  ideal  of  David  (v.  6;  2  Sam.  23:5),  a  kingdom  endless  in 
time  (w.  5,  7b,  17).  The  king’s  special  care  will  be  the  welfare  of 
the  poor  (vv.  4,  12-14). 

Note.  This  psalm  echoes  other  predictions.  2  Sam.  23.4  in 
v.  6;  Num.  24:19  in  v.  8;  Gen.  12:3;  22:18;  26:4  in  v.  17b,  mak¬ 
ing  this  king  the  heir  of  the  patriarchal  promises. 

After  Solomon  and  the  Division  the  ideal  was  more  strongly 
futurized  because  the  Davidic  kings  became  more  degenerate 
(Orelli,  page  172). 

§  44.  Christ  in  the  Song  of  Songs,  Cp.  Hos.  1-3;  Eph.  5:25-33. 

1.  The  Book.  There  are  two  views  as  to  who  is  the  lover  in 
this  book,  (a)  Some  hold  that  the  book  is  a  poem  about,  or  record¬ 
ing,  the  marriage  of  Solomon  with  the  Shunamite,  speaking  of  her 
love  for  him  and  his  love  for  her.  (b)  Others  think  that  it  sings 
the  pure  monogamous  love  of  the  fair  Shunamite  for  her  shepherd 
lover  and  betrothed,  whom  she  will  not  leave  for  all  the  wealth  and 
fame  of  even  a  Solomon.  On  this  view  it  first  celebrated  pure 
marital  love  and  was  then  transferred  to  the  Love  that  exists  be¬ 
tween  Christ  and  the  Church,  His  Spouse.  Cp.  Hosea. 

2.  The  Typical  Interpretation.  It  seems  strange  that  Solomon 
with  his  sixty  wives  and  eighty  concubines  (6:8)  should  be  the  type 
of  Christ,  and  such  love  the  type  of  religious  devotion.  On  the 
Shepherd  Theory,  the  shepherd  is  the  type  of  Christ  and  the  wom¬ 
an’s  love  for  him  is  the  type  of  the  true  religious  devotion  to  Christ. 

Note.  The  interpretation  depends  largely  on  the  assignment 
of  the  parts  to  the  various  persons  and  this  is  difficult  as  there  are 
no  indications  in  the  text.  There  have  several  attempts  been  made 
to  assigns  parts.  So  Terry,  Song  of  Songs,  Hunt  and  Eaton,  Cin¬ 
cinnati  and  New  York,  1893. 

§  45.  Job.  17:3;  33:23-28.  God  Surety  with  Himself. 

1.  The  Book  of  Job.  It  is  a  poem  of  religious  philosophy,  a 
dramatized  history  of  the  inner  struggles  of  a  righteous  man  in  his 
relation  of  love  and  devotion  to  God,  which  causes  his  sufferings, 
and  which  is  allowed  by  God  in  order  to  demonstrate  to  Satan  (and 
to  a  Satan-inspired  world)  that  true  devotion  to  God  is  a  fact  on 
man’s  part,  as  well  as  faithfulness  on  God’s  part.  In  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  the  problem  the  Messianic  elements  come  to  view. 


THE  DAVID-SOLOMON  PERIOD 


73 


2.  God’s  Pledge.  Job  17:3.  Job  has  been  nagged  by  his 
“friends,”  charging  him  with  unusual  sins,  which  he  denies  until 
he  is  weary.  On  their  theory  he  is  justly  suffering,  but  he  denies 
this  stoutly.  He  flees  to  the  very  God  who  seems  to  persecute 
him,  from  God  the  Judge  to  God  the  Mediator,  thus  making  a  dis¬ 
tinction  in  God  which  is  later  developed  in  the  Redeemer,  mercy 
shining  through  justice  (cp.  2  Cor.  5:19). 

3.  The  Redeemer.  Job.  19:23-27.  In  desparation  at  the  vex¬ 

ations  and  persecutions  of  his  “friends”  (19:21,  22)  he  cries  out  in 
deep  emotion,  and  at  the  same  time  in  strong  conviction  of  his  inno- 
cense  of  their  charge,  (a)  desires  that  his  cause,  which  he  knows 
to  be  just,  were  ineffaceably  put  on  record  for  future  adjudication 
and  justification  (19:23,  24).  (b)  He  has  an  inward  conviction, 

that  he  has  a  Goel,  sponsor,  who  will  take  up  his  cause  and  set  it 
right  against  his  foes  and  their  wrong  accusations.  In  our  case 
our  sins  are  our  enemies  and  Christ  our  Goel.  The  Goel  in  Hebrew 
custom  was  a  brother  or  near  relative  who  avenged  the  death  or 
injury  of  one  of  his  near  relatives.  In  the  eyes  of  the  man  who 
innocently  slew  his  neighbor,  the  Goel  was  an  enemy  and  the  City 
of  Refuge  was  salvation  (Num.  35:12-28;  Deut.  19;  Josh.  20). 
Goel  is  here  in  Job  translated  “avenger,”  and  in  Ruth  “near  kins¬ 
man.”  Job  is  sure  that  there  is  such  a  one  somewhere,  and  that 
he  will  appear  at  last  in  his  behalf  (19:25),  and  if  not  in  this  life, 
then  in  the  life  to  come,  outside  of  this  life  of  flesh,  and  face  to 
face  with  God.  He  will  be  vindicated  (19:26),  and  that  on  terms 
of  open  friendly  interview.  (19:27). 

4.  The  Develo'pynent  of  the  Idea  of  a  Daysman.  The  idea  of  a 
Daysman  or  Mediator  is  first  mentioned  in  Job  9:33,  “There  is  no 
umpire  that  might  lay  his  hand  upon  us  both,”  where  it  is  a  long¬ 
ing  to  be  realized.  In  this  restless  struggle  against  the  wrong 
accusations  of  his  friends  he  says,  “Even  now,  behold,  my  witness 
is  in  heaven,  and  he  that  vouches  for  me  is  on  high”  (16:19).  In 
16:20,  21  Job  has  an  intuition  that  God  is  after  all  a  God  of  love, 
behind  the  clouds  now  hiding  Him.  In  19:25-27  he  rises  to  the 
conviction  that  he  has  a  Mediator  for  he  says,  “I  know  that  my  Re¬ 
deemer  liveth,  and  at  last  he  will  stand  upon  the  earth”  even  “out 
of  my  flesh  I  shall  see  for  myself.”  From  16:22;  17:1-3,  13-16  it 
appears  that  Job  did  not  expect  vindication  in  this  life. 

5.  Adjustment  of  Life’s  Contradictions,  19:23-27.  In  Psalm 
16  the  just  man  hoped  to  live  on  with  God  beyond  the  grave.  Here 


74 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


he  looks  for  some  adjustment,  some  Adjuster  of  life’s  wrongs  and 
riddles,  after  death,  if  so  it  must  be.  In  Rom.  8:33,  34,  it  is 
Christ,  and  that  in  the  beyond,  who  adjusts  and  pustifies.  In  Job 
19:25b  an  after-man  arises  from  the  dust,  on  the  grave  of  the  un¬ 
justly  treated  man,  as  his  Goel.  The  illtreated  man  will  then  be 
unhampered  by  fleshly  limitations  (19:26b)  and  will  thus  be  more 
able  to  stand  his  ground  than  here  in  the  flesh  (19:7-12).  A  just 
God,  as  Job  feels  God  must  be  in  spite  of  appearances  to  the  con¬ 
trary  (13:20-28;  16:11;  19:6),  demands  equity,  if  need  be  after 
death,  hence  the  desire  for  immortality  and  its  hope.  What  in  14: 
13-15  is  a  mere  longing  for  respite  till  His  wrath  be  over,  is  in 
16:18-21  a  bold  demand  or  assurance  that  “my  witness”  is  in 
heaven  (16:19a),  “the  right  of  man  with  God”  (v.  21),  and  in 
19:25  a  joyous  certainty,  “I  know,”  which  is  better  than  the  wish 
of  19:23,  24.  The  Goel  is  Eloah,  God,  the  undying  Daysman.  Com¬ 
pare  Mark  12:26,  27:  The  God  of  Abraham  is  not  the  God  of  the 
dead  but  of  the  living. 

6.  The  Kopher ,  Lutron,  Ranso?n.  Job  33:23-28.  Elihu  takes  up 
the  same  thread  of  accusation  of  sin  and  punishment  and  tries  to 
show  that  Job’s  punishment  is  remedial.  Under  this  discipline,  he 
says,  man  comes  near  to  death  (33:19-22).  The  Malak,  angel, 
messenger  (v.  22)  is  a  messenger  from  God,  and  is  a  letz,  an  inter¬ 
preter  (cp.  Gen.  42:23,  where  the  same  word  is  used),  who  will 
now  show  the  man  thus  disciplined,  what  God’s  gracious  purposes 
with  him  are,  and  what  the  man  is  to  do  in  this  case,  that  is  “what 
is  right”  (v.  23).  He  is  one  of  the  thousand  (Rev.  5:11)  around 
His  throne,  ministering  to  the  needs  of  His  people  (Heb.  1:14). 
The  man  then  repents  and  God  is  gracious  to  him  because  God  has 
found  a  ransom,  whatever  the  ransom  be,  perhaps  the  man’s  repent¬ 
ance  (v.  27b),  or  suffering  (vv.  19-22;  36:18;  Isa.  40:2),  or  some 
unmentioned  future  atonement.  Whatever  it  be,  God  is  satisfied 
and  pardons  and  restores  the  man  (33:26-28)  to  full  and  joyous 
fellowship. 

This  seems  to  be  the  genesis  of  the  idea  of  a  reconciliation  on 
the  human  side,  a  preparation  of  man  for  fellowship  with  God. 
(Mai.  3:  la;  4:6). 

§  46.  Prov.  8:22-31.  Metaphorical  Conception  of  Wisdom. 

1.  The  Contents  of  the  Text,  (a)  Wisdom  was  begotten  of  God 
and  was  with  Him  before  creation  (22-26),  (b)  was  present  at 
creation  (27-29),  (c)  took  delight  in  all  of  God’s  works,  (v.  30), 


THE  DAVID-SOLOMON  PERIOD 


75 


(d)  especially  in  the  creation  of  man  and  earth,  the  abode  of  man 
(v.  31). 

2.  Interpretation.  Jesus  represents  wisdom  as  speaking  (Luke 
11:49).  The  word  “logos”  does  not  indicate  a  simple  word  but  the 
word  as  the  equivalent  of  thought,  expressed  or  unexpressed,  and 
so  logos  means  wisdom  as  framed  in  words.  This  chapter  in 
Proverbs  prepares  the  way  for  the  New  Testament  doctrine  of  the 
Logos  (John  1:1;  Col.  1:17,  “in  him  all  things  consist”  and  Col. 
1:25-27,  “The  word  of  God,  even  the  mystery  .  .  .  the  glory  of  this 
mystery  among  the  Gentiles  which  is  Christ  in  you.” 

Perhaps  we  may  say  that  when  God  made  man  in  His  own  im¬ 
age  there  was  before  Him  the  image  of  the  Second  Person  of  the 
trinity,  and  that  this  is  the  worldward  side  of  God.  Man,  not  as  an 
atom,  but  as  a  totality,  an  organism,  was  made  through  Jesus 
(John  1:1,  2;  Col.  1:17;  Rom.  11:36),  but  man  as  a  race  in  Christ 
implies  all  other  things  (Rom.  11:36)  all  things  are  integral  parts 
of  mankind,  his  kingdom,  home  and  temple. 

As  we  ask  about  a  new  machine,  etc.,  What  is  it?  and  mean 
What  is  it  for?,  what  is  the  thought  in  it?,  so  the  wise  men  of  all 
times  asked  about  the  world,  about  life.  Israel’s  wise  men  gave 
their  answer  in  Prov.  8:22-31.  The  soul  of  the  world  is  wisdom, 
an  ideal  that  was  and  is  before  God,  but  an  ideal  then  already  a 
reality  in  the  Second  Person.  This  was  the  Word,  the  thought,  a 
living  thought  with  God,  “pros  ton  theon”  (John  1:1),  but  became 
sarx,  flesh  or  man,  (John  1:14)  in  the  historic  Christ.  This  is  the 
New  Testament  Logos.  Christ  is  the  meaning  of  the  universe,  the 
soul  of  history,  the  answer  to  the  riddle.  Only  from  this  its  Head 
can  the  body,  or  any  part  of  it,  be  understood.  The  Church  is 
Christ’s  body,  a  temple,  and  Christ  is  the  meaning  of  it.  To  this 
solution  Old  Testament  wisdom  was  striving.  (Delitzsch  §§  15-22). 

§  47.  Psalm  45.  The  Bridal  Poem  of  Messiah. 

1.  The  Outline  of  the  Psalm.  A)  The  Royal  Bride groom  (vv. 

2-9).  (a)  His  beauty  (vv.  2,3);  (b)  The  justice  of  His  rule  (v. 

4)  ;  (c)  The  success  of  His  arms  (v.  5)  ;  His  faithfulness  to  God 
(vv.  6,  7).  B)  The  Bride  (vv.  10-15),  (a)  The  bride  herself  (w. 
10-12);  (b)  Her  adornment  for  husband  (vv.  13-15).  C)  Good 

Wishes  (16,  17). 

Note.  It  is  impossible  to  say  whose  marriage  is  here  cele¬ 
brated, — some  Israelite  king,  but  which  one? 

2.  The  Interpretation.  Whoever  may  be  the  king  for  whom 


76 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


the  poem  was  written,  he  was  a  descendant  of  David  and  so  in  the 
Messianic  line.  The  Psalm  is  very  generally  recognized  as  Mes¬ 
sianic.  The  marriage  of  any  Israelite  monarch  could  suggest  the 
ideal  that  could  be  realized  for  His  Church  only  by  the  divine  King. 
Heb.  1:8,  9  quotes  Ps.  45:6,  7  as  a  description  of  the  moral  and 
eternal  sovereignty  of  Christ.  If  the  Israelite  king  was  typical  of 
Christ,  the  bride  would  be  typical  of  the  Church.  “The  natural 
relationship  is  consecrated  as  the  sacrament  of  the  mystical  rela¬ 
tionship;  and  the  mystical  relationship  is  rendered  more  compre¬ 
hensible  to  the  human  mind  by  the  sanction  of  the  analogy”  (Com¬ 
pare  Eph.  5:25-33).  See  §  44.  The  Kingdom  here  was  unlimited 
in  time  (Ps.  45:16)  as  in  2  Sam.  7;  Isa.  9:1-7. 

Summary  of  Chapter  Four. 

We  have  in  the  line  of  human  development  and  reaching  of 
man  upward  to  God,  (a)  The  Human  Ideal  in  Ps.  8  and  (b)  The 
pious  man’s  favor  with  God  and  immortality  in  Ps.  16.  (c)  The 

idea  of  a  union  of  King  and  Priest  in  One,  and  (d)  the  narrowing 
of  the  blessing  to  the  house  of  David. 

On  the  coming  of  Jehovah  we  have  the  descent  of  Jehovah  to 
deliver  His  anointed  (Ps.  18),  and  as  Judge  of  all  the  earth  He  is 
with  His  anointed  (1  Sam.  2:10),  setting  him  upon  Zion  (Ps.  2) 
and  conquering  for  him  (Ps.  110). 

In  regard  to  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth,  we  find  God  carry¬ 
ing  the  Church  through  the  period  of  the  Judges,  illustrating  her 
love  in  the  Song  of  Songs,  and  the  union  of  the  Gentile  in  marriage 
with  the  Bridegroom  (Ps.  45).  The  picture  of  universal  rule  is  in 
Psalm  72. 

The  idea  of  a  Goel,  Redeemer,  grows  up  in  the  Book  of  Job  and 
the  Logos  idea  in  the  Book  of  Proverbs  (Prov.  8). 

Literature  on  this  Chapter. 

Briggs,  pages  121-152.  Orelli,  pages  148-188.  Davidson, 
pages  38-61. 


THE  EARLY  PROPHETS 


77 


CHAPTER  FIVE. 

THE  EARLY  PROPHETS. 


§  48.  Introduction. 

In  the  David-Solomon  Period  of  the  kingdom  a  preliminary 
conclusion  was  reached.  There  was  a  king  with  the  divine  in¬ 
dwelling,  as  a  symbol  of  the  people  with  God  in  their  midst;  a 
priesthood  to  reconcile  the  estranged  God  to  the  seeker  and  the 
estranged  sinner  to  the  seeking  God,  and,  finally,  the  office  of  the 
prophet  as  the  spokesman  of  God.  So  far  as  internal  development 
was  concerned  the  people  were  of  age. 

From  this  on  the  people  were  to  be  prepared  for  world-con¬ 
quest.  David  had  made  an  attempt  to  conquer  the  world,  no  doubt 
he  thought  for  Jehovah,  by  means  of  the  sword  (2  Sam.  24).  Sol¬ 
omon  attempted  to  subdue  the  world  commercially.  Both  failed 
because  the  Old  Testament  religion  was  not  suited  for  world  con¬ 
quest.  The  Spirit,  the  real  divine  dynamic,  was  not  yet  in  the  re¬ 
ligion  (John  7:39;  Acts  1:8).  Hence  an  ethical  deepening  and  a 
real  vital  force,  the  divine  life,  had  first  to  come.  This  inner  un¬ 
fitness  was  quite  natural  in  that  stage  when  man  was  still  mere 
flesh  and  not  born  again,  but  it  was  accentuated  by  the  fact  of  sin 
(Isa.  2:2-4  compared  with  2:5-11).  Hence  the  need  of  the  disso¬ 
lution  of  the  form  of  the  kingdom  as  reached  under  David.  Judg¬ 
ment  began  at  Israel,  yea  at  the  house  of  David  (1  Peter  4:17;  1 
Kings  11:  30-33),  that  is  the  Northern  tribes  seceded  from  the 
House  of  David  and  later  became  captive,  and  later  still  Judah  fol¬ 
lowed  and  was  taken  captive. 

But  through  all  this  the  covenant  of  Israel  and  David  was  sure 
(Orelli  page  193).  At  the  Division  an  epoch-making  crisis  of  relig¬ 
ious  development  begins.  From  now  on  the  gulf  between  the  pres¬ 
ent  and  the  promised  future  grows  wider.  The  end  of  the  present 
kingdom  is  announced,  and  a  new  creation,  a  new  covenant  is  fore¬ 
told.  In  this  respect,  Elijah  and  Elisha  belong  to  the  past  age, 
they  build  for  present  realization,  are  men  of  action  (in  the  imme¬ 
diate  present),  rather  than  men  of  word  (for  the  future).  Elijah 
represents  judgment,  hence  his  reappearing  before  the  Messiah 


78 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


(Mai.  4:5).  Elisha  represents  mercy  and  kindness  to  the  repent¬ 
ant  people.  But  in  general,  from  now  the  prophets  write,  that  is 
minister  to  the  coming  generations. 

In  this  age,  from  the  Division  onward,  the  content  of  prophecy 
is  still  the  kingdom  of  Jehovah  as  before,  but  now  the  look  is  to  the 
remote  future.  There  is  great  widening  both  as  to  time  and  place, 
for  the  kingdom  also  becomes  universal.  From  now  on  “the  latter 
days”  close  the  vista  of  the  prophetic  vision.  Here  they  see  the 
Day  of  Jehovah  and  the  Coming  of  Jehovah,  the  former  preparing 
the  way  for  the  latter,  for  Israel  and  the  nations  must  first  pass 
through  judgment,  and  a  separation  of  true  and  false  must  take 
place.  The  Messianic  ideal  is  both  personal  and  national. 

The  Period  of  The  Earlier  Prophets  deals  mostly  with  North¬ 
ern  Israel  as  this  passes  at  this  time  through  its  crisis,  and  the 
crises  call  forth  the  messengers  of  Jehovah. 

§  49.  Obadiah  19-21.  The  Destruction  of  Edom. 

1 .  The  Book  of  Obadiah.  (a)  The  Date.  The  prophecy  comes 
before  Jer.  49:7-23,  where  Jeremiah  seems  to  copy  this  oracle  of 
Obadiah,  and  Jer.  49:7-23  seems  to  fall  in  the  fourth  year  of  Jehoi- 
akim.  At  first  sight  Obad.  10-14  seem  to  describe  the  spiteful 
acts  of  Edom  at  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  B.C.  588,  but  the  “day  of 
distress”  (v.  13)  may  and  likely  does  refer  to  plundering  of  Jeru¬ 
salem  under  Jehoram  (2  Chron.  21 : 16f ;  2  Kings  8:20,  21,  B.C. 
896-884)  by  the  Edomites.  Obad.  v.  20  does  not  agree  with  the 
facts  of  the  Babylonian  captivity,  for  Sepharad  is  the  West,  per¬ 
haps  Spain,  to  which  Nebuchadnezzar  did  not  take  captives. 

(b)  Contents.  A)  Judgment  on  Edom  (vv.  1-9),  (1)  The 
nations  are  summoned  (v.  lb) ;  (2)  Edom’s  pride  humbled  (v.  2-4) ; 
her  riches  gone  (vv.  5,  6)  ;  (3)  her  wisdom  and  craft  gone  (vv. 
8,  9).  B)  Vengeance  on  Edom  for  sordidness  and  treachery 
against  Judah  (vv.  8,  9).  C)  Edom  shares  the  judgment  of  the 
nations  (vv.  15-17).  She  is  treated  like  a  heathen.  There  will 
be  the  day  of  Jehovah  and  a  reckoning  on  the  nations  (v.  15) 
and  they  will  be  paid  in  their  own  coin  (v.  17).  But  Zion  will  be 
delivered  (v.  17)  and  possess  her  foes.  D)  The  End  (vv.  18-21). 
The  house  of  Jacob  will  be  a  fire  and  Edom  stubble.  Israel  will 
possess  her  enemies  and  the  end  of  it  all  will  be  the  ruin  of  Edom 
and  the  glorification  of  Zion. 

2.  Messianic  Elements. 

a)  The  Enemies  of  Israel.  Hostile  Edom  represents  all  hos- 


THE  EARLY  PROPHETS 


79 


tile  nations  in  their  opposition  to  the  people  of  Jehovah.  These  will 
all  be  destroyed.  The  day  of  Jehovah  is  a  day  of  judgment  on  the 
nations.  The  idea  of  the  Day  of  Jehovah  is  from  now  on  promi¬ 
nent  in  prophecy. 

b)  The  People  of  Jehovah.  Israel  will  survive  the  Day  of 
Jehovah  and  come  out  glorious  and  blessed  (17-20).  There  will 
be  a  plurality  of  deliverers  after  the  manner  of  the  Judges.  “The 
kingdom  shall  be  Jehovah’s”  (v.  21b).  As  to  fulfillment,  Christ  is 
the  true  Moshia,  Deliverer  and  Shophet,  Judge.  The  process  of 
discipline  will  spiritualize  Israel  and  make  it  holy  (v.  15,  17)  when 
it  shall  dominate  the  nations. 

§  50.  Joel  2:28-32;  3:9-21.  The  Day  of  Jehovah. 

1.  The  Book  of  Joel.  The  time  of  the  Book  of  Joel  is  the  first 
half  of  the  reign  of  Joash  (877-833,  or,  837-797).  There  was  then 
a  famine  and  a  locust  plague  of  unheard  of  severity,  which  called 
forth  Joel  to  preach  repentance.  The  people  repented  and  God 
drove  away  the  locusts.  God  sent  rain  which  became  the  symbol 
of  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  latter  days. 

2.  The  Outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  2:28-32,  esp.  28,  29. 
This  outpouring  of  His  Spirit  on  all  classes  and  conditions  of  man 
is  an  advent  of  Jehovah.  The  word,  “flesh”  is  used  in  contrast  to 
Spirit,  basar  in  antithesis  to  ruach.  There  is  ruach  in  every  ani¬ 
mate  creature  (Ps.  104:29).  But  it  is  the  super  human  spirit  that 
is  to  come  and  be  in  a  special  sense  immanent  in  the  Church,  con¬ 
vey  the  special  revelation  of  God  and  endue  the  Church  with  spe¬ 
cifically  divine  vital  dynamic,  so  as  to  enable  each  member  of  it  to 
perform  the  will  of  God,  as  well  as  to  know  it,  that  is,  the  law 
will  be  written  on  the  heart  (Jer.  31:33,  34;  Heb.  8:10,  11).  This 
Holy  Spirit  will  be  poured  out  like  the  natural  rain,  on  their  re¬ 
pentance  (2:25,  28).  Thus  will  the  desire  of  Moses  be  realized 
(Num.  11:29),  and  it  will  be  the  completion  of  the  Church,  when 
every  member  will  be  Spirit-filled.  This  will  be  the  end  of  re¬ 
demptive  history,  as  judgment  will  be  the  end  of  the  world-history, 
the  one  for  union  with  God,  the  other  for  final  separation  from 
God.  The  Church  develops  to  perfection  in  God,  the  world  to  ruin 
away  from  God  (2:30-31).  All  will  be  accompanied  by  wonders. 

3.  Contrast  Between  Israel  and  the  Nations.  2:31,  32. 

a)  Judgment  and  the  Spirit.  The  great  and  terrible  day  of 
v.  31,  as  a  day  of  judgment,  seems  to  be  connected  with  the  out- 


80 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


pouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  is  a  judgment  on  the  nations.  Is¬ 
rael  shall  be  safe,  not  because  of  any  inherent  quality,  but  because 
of  the  mercy  of  Jehovah  upon  whom  Israel  leans  and  for  calling 
on  Him.  This  all  can  do  if  they  want  to,  and  so  be  safe  (Rom.  10: 
11,  13).  As  they  call  on  Jehovah,  so  He  calls  on  them,  they  are 
His  own.  Peter  quotes  this  passage  as  being  fulfilled  at  Pentecost. 
(Acts  2:14-21). 

b)  Guilt  and  Punishment  of  the  Nations  (3:1-8).  The  nations 
have  sold  God’s  people  into  captivity  (1-4) ;  they  cannot  recom¬ 
pense  God  for  this  offense  for  He  will  scorn  their  money  (4-7),  and 
will  sell  their  sons  as  they  did  His. 

c)  Redeemed  Israel.  God  will  gather  His  own  (vv.  1,  2,  7), 
and  because  of  them  He  will  judge  the  nations  in  the  Valley  of 
Jehoshaphat  (3:2;  2  Chron.  20:16).  Jehosaphat  means,  Jehovah 
judges. 

J.  The  Judgment  Itself.  3:9-12.  This  passage  is  addreseed  to 
the  nations.  They  rise  in  war  against  God.  To  sanctify  war  is  to 
declare  war  legally.  They  show  enthusiasm  or  feverish  haste  to 
meet  God  in  battle.  It  is  a  battle  between  Jehovah  and  the  heath¬ 
en,  “a  great  conflict  between  belief  and  unbelief”  (Goethe  as  quoted 
in  Orelli,  page  217).  The  mighty  ones  of  v.  11  are  of  heavenly 
nature  (cp.  2  Chron.  20:16).  In  all  this  feverish  commotion  on 
earth,  God  sits  calmly  on  His  throne  to  judge  the  nations  (v.  12). 
The  judgment  is  a  harvest,  the  angels  are  the  reapers,  the  grain 
is  all  tares,  and  the  sinners  are  the  vintage  (v.  13). 

5.  Israel’s  Refuge ,  3:14-17.  In  all  these  terrible  events  of  the 
judgment  on  the  nations  (vv.  14-16),  Jehovah  will  be  the  refuge  of 
His  own  (v.  16),  who  will  thus  learn  as  never  before,  that  Jehovah 
is  God,  their  God,  and  Jerusalem  shall  then  be  really  holy,  and 
hence  impregnable  (Orelli).  The  judgment  clears  the  atmosphere 
and  ushers  in  the  glorious  day  for  the  Church,  and  the  people  will 
live  in  God. 

6.  The  Blessed  State  of  the  Redeemed ,  3:18-21.  The  curse  of 
Adam  (Gen.  3:18,  19)  and  of  Cain  (Gen.  4:12)  will  then  be  re¬ 
versed  (v.  18).  But  the  land  of  the  enemies  shall  be  a  barren 
waste  because  of  their  sins  against  Judah,  the  people  of  God  (v. 
19).  Desolation  amounting  to  annihilation,  as  the  context  shows, 
will  be  the  lot  of  the  wicked.  Even  Judah  will  need  cleansing  be¬ 
cause  of  the  intimate  nearness  of  Jehovah  to  them  as  their  King 
(v.  21). 


THE  EARLY  PROPHETS 


81 


7.  The  Main  Thoughts  of  Joel,  (a)  The  Day  of  Reckoning  is 
described  rather  as  to  its  contents  than  as  to  the  time  when  it  will 
take  place,  (b)  The  Consummation  of  the  Church  by  the  outpour¬ 
ing  of  the  Holy  Spirit  comes  along  with  the  day  of  judgment,  (c) 
Armageddon ,  the  universal  God-opposed  war  and  the  judgment  of 
the  nations,  will  culminate  the  world-history.  This  is  the  same 
event  as  the  war  of  Gog  and  Magog  (Joel  3:1-2;  Ezek.  38  and  39). 
(d)  Blessed  Zion.  Zion  will  be  the  center  of  redeemed  humanity, 
and  the  source  of  the  blessedness  of  the  race,  (e)  The  land  will 
receive  the  needed  cleansing  so  that  God  can  dwell  in  it  with  His 
people  (Ezek.  36).  (f)  The  Spirit  and  the  Church.  “Where  the 

Church  is  there  is  the  Spirit  also,  and  where  the  Spirit  of  God  is 
there  is  the  Church,  and  all  is  of  grace”  (Orelli,  page  218).  (g) 

Grace  and  Judgment.  Peter,  in  his  address  (Acts  2)  connects  the 
two  together  for  they  go  together,  as  for  instance  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem  and  the  day  of  Pentecost,  (h)  Individual  salvation, 
and  not  national,  is  indicated  in  Joel  2:32  for  those  saved  are  the 
ones  who  call  on  God  (Rom.  10:13). 

§  51.  Amos  9:9-15.  Rebuilding  the  House  of  David. 

1.  The  Book  of  Amos.  Amos  was  sent  from  Judah  to  North¬ 
ern  Israel  to  plead  with  them  to  return  to  Jehovah,  and  when  they 
refused  he  announced  the  ruin  of  their  kingdom,  but  implied  the 
saving  of  the  house  of  Judah,  or  Jacob,  as  a  nation  (9:8),  to  which 
Jehovah  would  bring  the  sifted  and  saved  individuals  (9:9). 
Northern  Israel  was  rich,  godless,  and  corrupt.  Judah  was  not 
much  better,  but  had  the  promise  of  Jehovah  to  the  house  of  David 
(1  Kings  11:36:  2  Sam.  7:14-16).  This  house  of  Jacob,  though 
delapidated,  God  was  going  to  repair. 

2.  The  Rebuilding,  9:11.  The  house  of  David  was,  or  was 
going  to  be-  delapidated.  All  the  humanly  added  glory  was  to  be 
stripped  off  and  the  glory  given  to  God.  So  in  Isa.  11:1,  the  stump 
only  of  the  tree  was  left.  The  house  of  David  was  to  revert  to  its 
beginning  in  Bethlehem  (Micah  5:2).  In  Christ’s  time  the  human 
glory  of  the  house  was  all  gone. 

3.  Israel  Shall  Possess  the  Nations,  9:12.  The  Hebrew  text 
makes  Israel  possess  the  nations,  even  all  whom  Jehovah  has  speci¬ 
fied,  labeled  as  it  were,  and  who  are  thus  His  to  give  to  Israel,  or 
are  for  Israel  to  bring  to  Jehovah’s  household.  The  LXX  and  Acts 
(15:17)  read:  “The  residue  of  men  may  seek  after  the  Lord,  even 


82 


MESSIANIC  PROPRECY 


all  the  Gentiles  upon  whom  my  name  is  called.”  This  reading 
makes  more  easy  the  application  of  the  words,  “my  name  is  called.” 

U.  Ism-el's  Greater  State ,  9:13-15;  Deut.  28:10.  Israel  will 
then  be  enlarged  by  the  addition  of  the  Gentiles.  Nature  will  be 
propitious  (cp.  Joel  3:18).  Captive,  strayed  Israel,  will  return  to 
God  (and  of  Palestine?)  (v.  15),  and  will  abide  for  ever.  Physi¬ 
cal  blessings  depend  on  spiritual  for  their  realization  (Isa.  25:6; 
Joel  3:18;  Amos  9:13-15;  Lev.  26;  Deut.  28). 

There  is  a  saved  remnant  in  the  prophecy  of  Amos  (9:9;  3:12; 
4:11;  6:10). 

§  52.  Jonah  as  a  Type  of  Christ. 

1.  The  Book  of  Jonah.  Under  Jeroboam  II,  or  undue  Jehoa- 
haz,  (2  Kings  14:25;  13:4)  Jonah  was  sent  to  announce  the  down¬ 
fall  of  Nineveh.  God  in  His  mercy  not  only  saved  this  supremely 
wicked  city,  but  also  the  heathen  sailors  and  the  runaway  prophet 
when  they  called  upon  Him.  This  taught  Jonah  a  lesson,  which  he 
was  no  doubt  to  bring  to  his  countrymen  because  they,  too,  were  on 
the  brink  of  ruin,  because  of  their  sins. 

2.  The  Messianic  Element,  (a)  God’s  willingness  to  save  even 
the  heathen,  points  to  the  wideness  of  the  kingdom  of  God  and 
foreshadows  the  Messianic  time  of  mercy  to  all  who  call  on  Him. 
(b)  Christ  not  only  uses  the  incident  of  the  whale  to  teach  His  own 
resurrection,  but  expected  the  Israelites  to  learn  from  it,  or  He 
rebukes  them  for  not  having  learned,  the  resurrection  lesson.  They 
shall  have  “no  sign  but  the  sign  of  the  prophet  Jonah”  (Matt.  12: 
39,  40).  God  had  determined  to  send  Jonah  to  Nineveh  in  the  face 
of  all  that  opposed  or  stood  in  the  way.  So  He  carried  out  His 
plans  in  Jesus.  Though  the  Jews  killed  Him,  He  did  not  remain  in 
the  grave  but  rose  the  third  day. 

§  53.  Hosea  1-3.  Israel,  the  Faithless  Wife. 

Note.  Hosea,  the  prophet,  belongs  to  the  Northern  kingdom 
and  to  the  times  of  Jeroboam  II  of  that  kingdom.  Uzziah  ruled  in 
Judah.  It  was  a  time  of  political  prosperity  (2  Kings  14:28),  but 
of  religious  apostacy  and  corruption. 

1.  The  Marriage  of  Chapters  1  to  3.  Under  the  figure  of  a 
marriage  the  covenant  between  God  and  His  people,  here  Northern 
Israel,  is  presented  and  their  unfaithfulness  represented  by  adul¬ 
tery  of  Hosea’s  wife.  The  lesson  is  the  same  whether  we  regard 


THE  EARLY  PROPHETS 


83 


the  domestic  tragedy  as  literal  or  figurative.  The  idea  or  figure 
of  the  marriage  as  a  relation  the  most  tender  and  freely  chosen  is 
here  not  new.  It  is  implied  in  Ex.  20:5,  “a  jealous  God  (Deut.  5: 
9)  and  in  the  frequent  expression  “go  a  whoring  after  strange 
gods”  (Ex.  34:15,  16  etc.).  All  these  presuppose  this  figure  of 
the  marriage  relation.  It  is  not  a  nature  relation,  like  that  of 
father  and  son,  nor  onesided,  like  that  of  master  and  slave,  it  is  of 
free  loving  choice  on  both  sides. 

The  idea  of  a  covenant,  a  life  union  between  God  and  man 
(Ex.  19-24)  implies  a  oneness  which  can  be  real  only  in  Christ. 
The  Logos  became  flesh,  God  united  with  man  (John  1:14;  Col. 
2:9).  This  God-with-us,  Immanuel,  is  the  golden  thread  that  runs 
through  the  whole  of  history  from  start  to  finish.  It  was 
at  first  only  on  paper,  expressed  in  symbols,  but  finally  realized  in 
Christ  and  to  be  realized  in  the  Church  and  in  every  individual 
believer  (Rev.  21:1-5). 

2.  Hosea  2  and  3.  The  Curse  Turned  to  Blessings. 

a)  The  Curse:  An  Adulterous  Wife.  (1:1-9).  The  prophet 
regards  the  nation  as  one  and  only  speaks  of  the  existing  division 
when  he  stresses  the  greater  guilt  and  godlessness  of  Northern 
Israel,  and  the  fact  of  its  having  no  future  (1:6,  7;  Am.  9:8). 
Jesreel  (1:5)  is  figurative  for  Israel  and  its  sin  by  Jehu  in  the 
blood  deeds  which  he  did  (2  Kings  9).  Hosea  represents  God.  The 
wife  and  mother  is  Israel  and  the  children  are  the  Israelites. 

b)  Reunion  of  God  With  His  People  (1:10 — 2:2).  The  blessed 
reversal  of  the  condition  of  the  curse  (1:10-21)  based  on  the  incon¬ 
ceivable  mercy  of  God,  which  is  irrevocable  (Rom.  11:29)  in  the 
face  of  all  sin  and  human  unfaithfulness  (2  Tim.  2:13).  And  so 
in  spite  of  their  sins,  the  old  promise  shall  stand  for  Israel  (not 
for  N.  Israel  as  a  nation,  Am.  9:5;  Hos.  1:7)  as  promised  in  Gen. 
12:1-3;  13:15,  16;  15:  5).  The  two  divisions  at  the  time  of  Hosea 
will  be  under  one  head  (1:11)  and  Jezreel  in  the  bad  sense  of 
scattered  shall  be  Jezreel  in  the  good  sense  of  sowing  (1:1).  Then 
shall  they  be  His  people  indeed  (2:1),  and  “great  shall  be  the  day 
of  Jezreel,”  implies  conquest  under  the  new  head,  the  Davidic 
King  (1:11b). 

c)  Conversion  through  suffering.  (2:2-7).  The  sudden  tran¬ 
sition  noted  in  1:10 — 2:1,  was  brought  about  by  suffering  a  siege 
(2:2-6)  when  her  false  lovers  had  forsaken  her,  that  is  the  false 
divinities  are  the  false  lovers. 


84 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


d)  Return,  to  the  True  God  (2:8-18).  The  nation  comes  back 
to  its  own  true  God  and  leaves  the  idols,  because,  after  being  for¬ 
saken,  she  realizes  Who  gave  her  her  blessings,  for  God  had  taken 
His  gifts  back  when  she  left  Him. 

e)  Nature  and  Grace  (2:21-23).  There  will  be  undisturbed 
harmony  between  nature  and  grace.  This  will  be  a  reversal  of 
chapter  1.  Nature  (2:22)  and  Israel  will  respond  to  the  will  of 
God  (v.  23;  Job  5:23). 

3.  Another  Picture  of  Discipline,  Hos.  3:1-5.  Israel  in  cap¬ 
tivity  returns  to  God  (compare  2:6,  7,  9-12,  14).  The  sinful  peo¬ 
ple  have  become  abject  and  cheap,  God  takes  it  back  (1:2).  In 
captivity  they  have  no  king,  no  temple  service  (3:3,  4),  and  shall 
return  to  God  (3:6)  and  to  the  Davidic  ruler  who  is  the  Messiah 
of  the  latter  days. 

Jf.  Fulfillment.  Israel  soon  realized  Hosea’s  predictions  in  the 
fall  of  Samaria,  B.C.  722.  Judah  was  spared  for  a  while,  but  had 
finally  to  go  the  same  way  as  Israel  did  (1:7).  But  all  this  was 
only  a  prelude  to  the  final  realization  of  the  covenant  of  love  be¬ 
tween  God  and  His  people.  Hosea  2:10-20  is  fulfilled  in  the  heath¬ 
en  who  came  in  with  the  Jews  (Rom.  9:24).  Paul  applies  the 
words  of  2:23  to  the  Gentiles,  once  not  His  people  but  now  His 
people  (Rom.  9:23).  “A  national  return  of  Israel  moved  by  the 
conversion  of  the  Gentiles  and  their  returning  to  God  is  not  ex¬ 
cluded.”  (Orelli  Comm,  on  Hosea  2:23).  Do  Hos.  2:15  and  3:5 
imply  a  literal  return?  The  conversion  of  the  Gentiles  (Rom.  11: 
25)  will  bring  in  the  conversion  of  the  Jews  (nationally?)  Rom.  9: 
26,  28-32). 

Hosea  is  of  triumphant  confidence  that  the  Lord  will  at  last 
turn  every  thing  to  good  account  for  His  people,  in  the  realization 
of  His  covenant  (Rom.  8:28),  after  the  people  have  drunk  the  cup 
of  judgment  to  the  dregs. 

§  54.  Hosea  6:1-4.  Restoration  Through  Repentance. 

Note  on  Hosea  4-14.  These  chapters  expand  literally  what  in 
1-3  was  given  figuratively.  So  especially  9:10 — 14:9.  Incorrigible 
Israel  goes  into  exile  (8:13;  9:3-6;  10:6;  11:5)  to  Assyria  and  to 
Egypt  its  false  helpers,  lovers  (7:11;  8:9;  14:10).  But  God  will 
not  give  them  up  for  He  loves  them. 

1.  The  Nation’s  Sins  and  Misery ,  Israel  and  Judah  became 
aware  of  the  evil  condition  into  which  their  sin  and  folly  had 


THE  EARLY  PROPHETS 


85 


brought  them,  and  they  went  to  Assyria  for  help  without  avail. 
Hence  God,  whom  they  passed  by,  will  be  like  a  lion  against  them 
(5:11).  God  retires  to  heaven  and  lets  the  suffering  do  its  work 
(5:15). 

2.  Repentance  and  Salvation.  Hosea  as  spokesman  puts  words 
of  confession  into  the  mouth  of  stricken  Israel  and  words  of  hope 
(6:1,  2).  Dead  in  tresspasses  and  sins,  God  will,  immediately  on 
their  confession,  that  is  “in  two  days,”  revive  the  nation. 

3.  National  Resurrection.  If,  as  is  sure,  they  will  go  into  cap¬ 
tivity  as  a  nation,  God  will  raise  them  up  from  the  dead  (cp.  Ezek. 
37).  All  this  is  as  sure  as  the  course  of  nature  (3:6).  This  will 
be  the  lot  of  the  generation  then  living  if  they  repent.  But  as  they 
will  not  do  so  (6:4)  it  will  be  the  lot  of  a  future  generation. 

§  55.  Hosea  11:8-11.  The  Father’s  Redeeming  Love. 

1.  The  Context.  This  passage  is  the  close  of  a  series  of  retro¬ 
spective  rebukes  (9:10 — 11:1).  (a)  They  were  once  happy  in 

God’s  presence,  but  now  they  are  miserable  in  their  sins  (9:10-17, 
cp.  10a  with  10b,  13a,  6,  16,  17).  (b)  Through  God’s  presence, 

love,  and  care  they  once  flourished ,  but  now  their  sins  have  brought 
them  to  ruin  (10:1-8,  compare  10:1  with  v.  8).  (c)  Israel  is  at 

its  worst ,  for  they  sin  more  than  in  the  days  of  Gibeah,  which  was 
up  to  that  date,  their  lowest  moral  level  (10:9  .R.  V.  Marg. ;  10:9, 
11,  12).  Hence  God  punishes  them  (10:10,  14,  15).  (d)  The  tri¬ 

umphant  Love  of  God  which  was  over  them  from  the  beginning  will 
finally  triumph  over  all  their  unfaithfulness. 

2.  The  Redeeming  Love  of  God.  11:8-11. 

a)  Love’s  Unheeded  Call  (1-3).  God  always  infinitely  loved 
Israel  but  to  no  purpose  for  the  more  they  were  called  the  more 
they  strayed  away  from  His  loving  care. 

b)  The  Evils  of  the  Unheeding  Heart  (4-7).  For  their  refus¬ 
ing  to  heed  His  loving  call  they  were  punished  in  their  own  sins 
though  this  grieves  the  love  of  God  (11:5-7;  Rom.  1:24,  26,  28). 

c)  Restoration  Through  Divine  Love  (11:8-11).  God  will  re¬ 
store  them  for  He  cannot  give  them  up  (v.  8).  He  will  not  exe¬ 
cute  the  sentence  of  His  wrath  (v.  9a),  not  because  of  any  thing 
in  them,  but  simply  because  He  is  God  (9b).  They  will  yet  walk 
after  Him  as  He  leads  them  in  love,  and  mightily,  like  a  roaring 
lion,  will  He  lead  them  (v.  10),  and  like  birds  will  they  flutter  after 
Him,  tremblingly  at  first  but  trustingly  afterward  (v.  11). 


86 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


Note.  Behind  the  exile  Hosea  sees  Israel  returning  home  like 
homing  pigeons.  The  change  comes  from  God’s  love,  and  all  is  in 
line  with  His  love  as  revealed  in  chapters  1-3. 

§  56.  Hosea  13  and  14.  Deliverance  From  Sheol. 

1.  Context,  (a)  Ephraim  Once  Great  is  now  fallen,  for  they 

are  sunken  into  idolatry  and  calf  worship,  and  their  goodness  is 
like  the  morning  dew.  (13:1-3).  (b)  Fat  in  Body ,  Lean  in  Soul 

(13:4-8).  God  was  kind  to  them  but  in  their  prosperity  they  for¬ 
got  Him  and  he  turned  a  lion  against  them.  And  (c)  Israel  was 
ruined  as  the  result  of  their  sins  (13:9-13)  for  their  gods  were 
unable  to  help  them.  They  died  in  their  sins. 

2.  Israel  Delivered  from  Sheol ,  v.  14.  God  refuses  to  come  to 
the  rescue  of  His  people  and  they  go  down  to  Sheol,  from  whence 
He  will  save  them.  This  deliverance  from  Sheol,  that  is  from  cap¬ 
tivity  will  be  a  resurrection,  so  glorious  that  Hosea  sings  its  tri¬ 
umph.  While  this  is  a  resurrection  that  is  primarily  national  it 
can  and  will  be  true  of  individual  resurrection,  for  the  God  that 
is  sufficient  for  the  one  will  be  sufficient  for  the  other  (1  Cor.  15). 

§  57.  Hosea  14.  Prosperity  After  Restoration. 

After  the  destruction  of  Samaria  for  its  sins,  the  people  are 
advised  to  repent  (13:15,  16). 

1.  Call  to  Repentance.  14:1-3.  The  words  they  are  to  take 
with  them  are  a  confession  of  their  sins  and  are  thank  offerings 
from  the  heart  instead  of  bullocks  (vv.  1,  2),  renouncing  their  alle¬ 
giance  to  Assyria  (v.  3a)  and  acknowledging  the  God  of  mercy 
(v.  3  end).  This  confession  was  God-taught,  and  so  He  could  re¬ 
deem  them. 

2.  God’s  Promise  of  Blessing,  14:4-7.  Their  backslidings  will 
be  healed.  His  dew  will  make  them  beautiful  as  a  lily  and  ever¬ 
lasting  as  the  mountains  of  Lebanon  (14:4,  6).  They  will  live 
again  like  the  grain  of  the  field  (v.  7). 

3.  God  and  Israel  Commune.  14:8.  Ephraim  says:  “What 
have  I  to  do  any  more  with  idols.”  God  answers:  “I  have  an¬ 
swered  and  will  regard  him.”  Ephraim:  “I  am  (now)  like  a  green 
fir  tree.”  God:  “From  me  is  thy  fruit  found.” 

If.  Fulfillment.  The  predictions  here  were  fulfilled  partly  in 
the  return  from  Babylon,  in  principle  valid  until  all  is  fulfilled. 
Israel’s  blindness  is  still  on  them  (Rom.  11:25).  Hosea  saw  that 
the  then  existing  theocracy  must  dissolve  in  judgment,  the  nation 


THE  EARLY  PROPHETS 


87 


die  to  live  again, — to  live  a  better  life  (cp.  John  2:19;  12:24). 
Christ’s  body  is  the  Church.  Jesus  was  raised  on  the  third  day, 
symbol  of  the  Church’s  resurrection  (Hosea  6:2,  “after  two  days.” 
Matt.  12:40).  Here  a  detail  is  literally  carried  out  in  prediction 
and  fulfillment,  the  outward  mold  and  the  inward  truth  coinciding. 
The  future  Church  is  to  be  His  bride,  in  beautiful  harmony  with 
nature,  with  heaven  and  earth  in  accord,  in  spiritual  self-restraint. 
So  will  Israel  enjoy  God’s  blessing. 

Suminary  of  Chapter  Five. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  hostility  of  Edom,  the  day  of  judgment 
for  the  enemies  and  of  salvation  of  Israel  is  announced.  This  day 
comes  out  clearly  in  Joel  who  sees  the  judgment  of  God  especially 
on  the  nations  but  salvation  for  all  who  call  on  Jehovah. 

In  Northern  Israel  Amos  preaches  the  righteousness  of  God, 
calls  to  repentance  and  pronounces  doom  on  the  nation  as  a  nation 
but  salvation  to  the  individuals  who  are  then  taken  into  the  king¬ 
dom  of  Judah.  Jonah  is  shown  the  world-wide  and  infinite  mercy 
of  Jehovah  extending  in  distance  to  far  off  heathen  and  depth  to 
fallen  Israel.  This  is  the  essence  of  the  Messianic  rule.  Hosea 
preached  the  tenderness  of  God’s  infinite  love  as  manifested  in  re¬ 
deeming  Israel  from  Sheol,  which  means  first  national  and  then 
individual  resurrection.  The  return  from  Babylonian  captivity 
was  the  symbol  of  the  resurrection  to  spiritual  life  in  the  Messianic 
age. 

Literature. 

Briggs,  pages  153-179.  Orelli,  pages  191-254. 


88 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


CHAPTER  SIX. 

ISAIAH’S  EARLIER  PROPHECIES. 

Isaiah  1-35. 

Note.  The  Earlier  Prophecies  of  Isaiah  (Isa.  1-35)  are  fo¬ 
cused  on  the  Assyrian  invasion  and  the  divine  deliverance  from  it. 
The  later  prophecies  (Isa.  40-66)  center  in  the  Babylonian  Cap¬ 
tivity  and  contain  the  revelation  regarding  the  Kingdom  occasioned 
by  that  stupendous  event.  The  earlier  prophecies,  especially  the 
predictions  with  their  fulfillment  in  Isa.  36  and  37  taken  from  his¬ 
tory  (2  Kings  18  and  19)  are  Isaiah’s  divine  credentials  for  regard¬ 
ing  the  far  more  distant  future  events  in  Isaiah  40-66  reliable. 
Though  written,  say  at  the  close  of  his  life  and  long  before  the 
Babylonian  Captivity  this  prophecy  was  not  so  much  for  his  own 
contemporaries  as  for  the  times  of  the  return  and  beyond.  Hence 
we  treat  of  them  in  that  connection  in  chapter  nine. 

A.  The  Emanuel  Book,  I— XII. 

Note.  During  this  time  Judah  was  corrupt  and  incorrigible. 
All  efforts  at  reformation  were  fruitless.  Chastisement  from  a 
long-suffering  God,  Assyria  dimly  seen  in  the  northeast,  are  the 
characteristics  of  this  Book. 

§  58.  Isa.  2:2-4:6.  Exaltation  after  Humiliation  (Micah  4:1-5). 

1.  Israel’s  Ideal.  Isa.  2:2-4.  After  the  prophet’s  severe  chas¬ 
tisement  in  chapter  one,  some  one  from  the  audience  may  have 
opposed  the  usual  glorious  destiny  of  Israel.  Isaiah  quotes  an  ear¬ 
lier  prophet,  describing  the  high  ideal  of  the  people  of  God. 

a)  Exaltation  of  Jehovah  Worship  (v.  2).  “The  latter  days” 
is  the  time  when  the  affairs  of  the  Kingdom  are  ripe.  But  God’s 
work  is  a  growth  like  grain  and  the  ripeness  is  not  set  by  the  calen¬ 
dar. 

b)  The  Coming  of  the  Nations,  (v.  2b).  So  attractive  will 
be  the  worship  of  the  true  God  that  heathenism  will  end,  and  all 
peoples  will  come  to  Jehovah  and  find  the  truth  in  His  house  (v.  3). 

c)  Peace  and  Rest  (v.  4).  These  will  be  universal  and  based 


ISAIAH’S  EARLIER  PROPHECIES 


89 


on  the  knowledge  of  God  and  on  His  just  judgment  among  peoples 
far  and  near.  Men  will  learn  war  no  more. 

2.  Mediating  Chastisement.  Before  that  time  comes  there 
must  be  judgment  on  all  and  especially  Israel,  (a)  Overheathen¬ 
ized  Israel  (2:5-11)  cannot  bring  heathen  to  God.  Hence  there 
must  be  (b)  Universal  Humiliation  (2:12-22)  in  which  ualV ’  must 
come  down,  and  Israel  will  be  (c)  Politically  Humbled  (3:1-15) 
until  kingship  goes  a  begging  and  (d)  The  Women  Will  be  Hum¬ 
bled  (3:16—4:1).  A  people’s  last  hope  is  its  womanhood,  for  as  the 
mothers  go  so  goes  the  nation. 

3.  The  Purified  and  Glorified  Zion.  Isa.  4:2-6. 

a)  The  Escaped  (4:2).  This  implies  that  Israel  shall  be  sifted 
by  the  humiliations  of  2:5 — 4:1,  and  only  a  remnant  (a  character¬ 
istic  idea  in  Isaiah)  shall  survive.  These  will  be  beautiful  and 
glorious,  for  they  constitute  God’s  sprout,  not  branch.  That  is 
Jehovah’s  work  is  a  living,  growing  something.  It  is  from  God,  but 
it  grows  out  of  the  earth  where  He  planted  it.  It  is  the  sprout  of 
Jehovah  and  the  fruit  of  the  land  (v.  3).  The  zemach,  sprout, 
later  became  the  personal  name  of  Messiah  (Jer.  23:5;  33:16; 
Zech.3 :8 ;  6:12).  This  is  the  divine  blessing  promised  in  Hos.  3: 
5  and  is  not  yet  personal.  On  the  remnant  compare  6:13. 

b)  The  Character  of  the  Escaped  (4:3,  4).  They  shall  be 
holy,  every  one  of  them,  none  else  are  counted;  a  holiness  that  is 
the  result  of  the  cleansing  by  the  spirit  of  fire. 

c)  The  Protection.  The  remnant,  now  cleansed,  shall  be  pro¬ 
tected  by  a  divine  canopy  spread  lovingly  over  them  by  God  as  in 
the  wanderings  in  the  wilderness  (Isa.  4:5,  6;  Ex.  13:21,  22). 
This  is  the  divine  presence  (cp.  Rev.  21:3). 

§  59.  Isa.  7:13-17.  The  Immanuel  Child. 

1.  Context  and  Occasion,  Samaria  and  Damascus  had  besieged 
Jerusalem.  Ahaz  feared  them  and  their  conspiracy.  Isaiah  of¬ 
fered  the  king  of  Judah  the  divine  help,  but  he  rejected  the  over¬ 
tures  of  grace,  and  so  God  gave  him  the  sign  of  the  Immanuel 
(7:14).  The  time  of  Ahaz  is  B.C.  734  (2  Kings  16).  The  reason 
why  Ahaz  rejected  the  divine  help  was  the  fact  that  he  had  sub¬ 
mitted  already,  or  had  decided  to  submit,  to  the  king  of  Assyria 
and  depend  on  his  help. 

2.  The  Prediction  of  the  Immanuel,  Isa.  7:14. 


90 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


a)  The  Text.  The  Hebrew  word  used  is  almah,  young  woman, 
not  bethulah,  virgin.  The  former  denotes  a  marriageable  young 
woman,  the  latter  a  virgin  in  the  usual  sense.  The  emphasis, 
then,  does  not  lie  on  virginity.  The  Septuagint  uses  the  word 
parthenos,  a  virgin,  and  the  idea  of  virginity  seems  to  have  been 
closely  associated  with  the  word  almah.  When  Jesus  was  born  of 
the  Virgin  the  event  found  its  prediction  here,  for  why  should  the 
prophet  use  almah  instead  of  isshah,  the  ordinary  word  for  woman. 
The  conception  of  the  woman,  in  the  mind  of  Isaiah,  was  still 
expected,  for  the  words,  hinneh  hara,  mean  behold  she  is  to  be  with 
child. 

b)  The  Meaning.  The  emphasis  lies  on  the  name  of  the  child, 
Immanuel,  and  denotes  that  in  a  definite,  countable  number  of 
months  God  will  so  manifest  Himself  in  bringing  relief,  that  then 
the  child  will  be  called  Immanuel,  God-with-us  (7:16).  But  there 
is  another  side  to  the  God-with-us,  for  while  to  the  believer  it  was 
a  sign  of  life  and  help,  to  Ahaz  and  his  like  it  was  a  sign  of  terror 
to  come.  Butter  and  honey  are  the  food  of  the  devastated  land 
(7:15,  enlarged  in  7:17-25).  This  was  the  message  to  the  Israel 
of  that  day.  It  had  to  have  a  meaning  for  that  day. 

c)  The  Future  Significamce.  This  lies  also  in  the  Immanuel 
idea  and  fact  in  history.  The  Messiah,  the  Second  Person  in  the 
Trinity,  was  then  present  and  active,  for  he  was  “in  the  beginning 
with  God”  (John  1:3).  Israel’s  help  and  Ahaz’s  ruin  lay  in  this 
divine  presence,  which  was  about  to  act,  and  would  in  the  future 
be  realized  historically  in  the  Christ.  The  Christ  born,  solves  this 
riddle  of  Isa.  7 :14,  which  occurs  again  as  a  riddle  in  Isa.  8:8,  where 
it  becomes  a  king  (8:8;  cp.  with  9:6;  11:2).  In  the  person  of 
Jesus,  Immanuel,  (Matt.  1:21-23)  Israel’s  mission  will  be  realized 
as  it  failed  in  Ahaz.  The  65  years  of  7:7  means  the  peopling  of 
Samaria  with  foreigners  (2  Kings  17 :24,  25). 

§  60.  Isa.  9:1-7.  New  Times  Through  the  Prince  of  Peace. 

1.  Time  and  Occasion.  In  8:1-4  Isaiah  gives  Israel  another 
sign  of  assurance  that  Damascus  and  Samaria  will  be  plundered. 
And  Judah,  which  does  not  take  warning  at  Samaria’s  fate,  but 
trusts  in  the  Euphrates-like  forces  of  Assyria  instead  of  the  rivu- 
let-like  power  and  help  of  Jehovah  (8:6,  7)  would  find  itself 
drowned  in  that  stream  if  Jehovah  would  not  intervene,  if  that 
Euphrates  flood  did  not  break  on  the  Rock  Immanuel  (8:8). 

Hence  these  foreign  powers  will  not  succeed  because  God  is 


ISAIAH’S  EARLIER  PROPHECIES 


91 


with  Israel  (8:9,  10),  nor  need  Judah  fear  the  Damascus-Samaria 
conspiracy  (8:11-15,  cp.  7:2).  This  prophetic  testimony  is  not  for 
the  then  present  unbelieving  Israel,  but  for  the  disciples,  the 
Church  within  the  Church,  then  and  now  and  in  the  future  (8:16- 
18).  This  witness  of  the  prophets,  and  also  the  fundamental  law 
of  Moses  which  the  prophets  expound  and  apply,  will  be  the  acid 
test  of  life  or  death  of  Israel  (8:19-20).  If  they  are  with  this  tes¬ 
timony  they  shall  live.  If  they  are  not  with  it  they  are  doomed 
(8:21-22). 

2.  The  Prophetic  Prediction,  Isa.  9:1-7. 

a)  The  Gloom  in  Galilee  (vv.  1,  2).  The  gloom  of  the  pre¬ 
ceding  verses  will  not  remain  for  the  believers,  but  will  pass  away. 
In  Galilee  the  Assyrians  first  made  their  attack  (2  Kings  15:29), 
so  it  is  first  to  see  the  light.  Devastation  soon  followed  after 
this  prediction  and  all  Northern  Israel  was  laid  waste,  especially 
its  half  heathen  North.  In  contrast  to  this  is  its  still  more  future 
glory  (v.  lb,  2).  The  perfect  tenses  of  the  verbs,  “hath  etc.,”  are 
the  so-called  prophetic  perfects,  speaking  of  things  future  as  al¬ 
ready  done.  The  prophet  sees  the  Immanuel  of  7:14;  8:8,  10,  as 
source  of  blessing,  as  incarnation  of  God’s  helpful  saving  presence 
(Matt.  1:21-23  where  Immanuel  means  Saviour). 

b)  The  Day  of  Redemption  (9:3-5).  There  will  be  great  joy 
(v.  3).  All  the  armor  of  the  foe  will  be  left  by  him,  and  war  shall 
be  no  more  (Isa.  2:4).  The  “Thou”  of  “thou  hast  broken”  is  Jeho¬ 
vah  himself,  but  by  what  means  He  will  do  it  is  not  here  indicated, 
except  that  it  is  by  His  presence,  Immanuel.  On  Midian,  see 
Judg.  7:25).  It  is  not  a  contemporary  child  that  is  here  spoken  of. 

c)  The  Immanuel  and  His  name  (9:6,  7).  That  the  prophet 
had  the  Wonder  child  of  7:14  and  8:8  in  mind  is  made  likely  by  his 
mention  of  the  child  in  9:6,  7  and  the  word  given.  Enthroned  im¬ 
plies  relation  to  David,  and  “Wonder”  implies  divinity.  His  name 
consists  of  four  word-pairs:  Wonder  of  a  Counsellor,  to  plan  and 
choose  means  to  the  end  planned;  Mighty  God,  the  power  to  carry 
and  choose  means  to  the  end  planned;  Mighty  God,  the  power  to 
carry  out  the  plans;  Eternal  Father,  a  fatherhood  of  eternal  dura¬ 
tion,  never  failing  His  own,  but  always  loving  them;  Prince  of 
Peace,  maintaining  His  rule  free  from  war  through  wisdom,  jus¬ 
tice,  and  loving  care  of  His  subjects,  and  all  powerful  against  His 
foes.  The  pillars  of  Plis  kingdom  are  not  an  army,  or  wealth,  or 
diplomacy  but  righteousness,  character,  and  justice  in  His  deal¬ 
ings.  It  is  not,  therefore,  a  world-power. 


92 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


3.  The  Fulfillment.  This  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world.  The 
attributes  are  far  above  human  limitations:  pele,  divine,  divine 
wisdom,  divine  power,  divine  father-love,  eternally  present,  divine 
justice  and  peace.  His  rule,  therefore,  will  be  the  rule  of  God  on 
earth.  The  names  here  given  Him  are  ever  in  the  Old  Testament 
given  to  God  alone.  This  is  a  riddle,  for  nowhere  is  the  difference 
between  the  human  and  the  divine  so  sharply  drawn  as  in  the  0. 
T.,  especially  by  the  prophets.  It  is  especially  Isaiah  who  insists 
that  all  human  things  shall  fall,  be  humbled,  and  God  alone  exalted 
(cp.  Isa.  2:12-22).  This  riddle  is  fully  solved  in  the  N.  T.  alone 
where  the  gulf  between  the  human  and  the  divine  is  bridged  by 
the  incarnation,  that  is  from  the  divine  side.  Jesus  alone  is  worthy 
of  bearing  the  names  here  given  to  this  Child. 

The  fact  that  Isaiah  here  predicts  His  coming  from  Galilee  is 
a  yielding  to  the  blindness  of  the  Israelites,  to  help  them  know 
Jesus  when  He  came  from  Galilee.  Compare  His  riding  on  an  ass 
into  Jerusalem  (Matt.  4:13-15).  On  Matt.  9:6  see  Matt.  21:5; 
Zech.  9:9. 

The  time  for  the  fulfillment  is  not  given..  Only  the  blessed  out¬ 
come  of  all  the  changes  and  troubles  is  sure  in  Isaiah’s  mind.  Not 
the  when  but  the  fact  of  His  coming  is  given.  Isaiah  moves  here 
and  in  7:14  in  a  spiritual  and  not  in  a  political  realm.  Not  force 
but  justice  (Isa.  9:6)  brings  a  conquest,  not  by  arms  but  by  jus¬ 
tice  and  love  does  He  rule  (Hos.  2:19;  John  18:36,  37). 

Jehovah  and  the  King  are  one  and  yet  the  distinction  is  main¬ 
tained.  The  names  are  divine.  “Wonderful  Counsellor”  is  Jeho¬ 
vah  in  Isa.  28:29,  “Mighty  God”  in  Isa.  10:21,  “A  Father  to 
v  Israel,”  in  Jer.  31:9;  Isa.  66:12.  In  Isa.  54:10  “Neither  shall  my 
covenant  of  peace  be  removed”  and  in  Isa.  66:12,  “I  will  extend 
peace  to  her  like  a  river,”  we  have  the  same  idea  of  peace.  The 
Hebrew  word,  pele  is  in  Isa.  29:14  an  attribute  of  God  (See  David¬ 
son,  page  366,  367). 

§  61.  Isa.  11:1-16.  The  Rod  From  the  Stump  of  Jesse. 

1.  The  Context.  Here  again,  as  in  9:1-7,  we  have  a  series  of 
divine  events  described  and  climaxed  by  the  picture  of  the  Davidic 
Ruler,  (a)  Israel’s  pride  is  punished  by  four  successive  blows 
(9:8 — 10:4)  then  the  instrument  (b)  Assyria  is  Humbled  (10:5- 
34).  The  rod  of  God  will  be  destroyed,  for  Israel  has  learned  to 
lean  on  Jehovah  and  not  any  longer  on  its  destroyer  (10:20). 
These  will  be  but  a  remnant  of  the  whole  of  Israel,  but  a  holy  rem- 


ISAIAH’S  EARLIER  PROPHECIES 


93 


nant  (cp.  4:2-6;  10:20,  22).  Just  as  Assyria  reaches  out  to  give 
the  final  blow,  God  lops  him  off  (10:33,  34).  In  thus  contemplat¬ 
ing  Israel’s  wonderful  deliverance,  the  prophet  swings  his  soul  to 
Messianic  heights  and  sees  here  (11:1-6)  as  in  9:1-7,  the  distant 
but  sure  fulfillment  of  divine  promises,  and  prophetic  picture. 

2.  The  Rod  of  Jesse.  11:1-5.  We  are  given  here  (a)  His  low¬ 
ly  origin.  The  Davidic  family  tree  will  be  cut  down  to  a  mere 
stump  (cp.  Amos  9:11),  all  human  glory  having  been  stripped  off. 
(b)  His  spiritual  endowments  are  sevenfold.  The  Spirit  of  Jehovah  is 
His,  and  abides  with  Him.  It  is  a  spirit  of  wisdom,  understanding 
and  counsel  associated  with  might  to  carry  His  projects  through. 
He  is  reverent  and  loyal  toward  Jehovah,  (c)  His  attributes  and 
works.  His  judgments  are  just  and  exercised  for  the  benefit  of  the 
poor  and  lowly.  His  sword  is  the  truth,  the  word  of  God  (Heb. 
4:12).  His  strength  is  upheld  with  a  girdle  of  righteousness 
(v.  6).  Thus  in  contrast  to  the  hewn  down  forest  of  Assyria  (10: 
33,  34)  which  will  never  rise  again,  the  hewn  down  Davidic  tree 
will  sprout  again  and  bear  fruit.  Where  the  world  powers  cater 
to  the  proud  and  the  rich,  this  Ruler  caters  to  the  poor  and  lowly, 
(d)  The  Stump  is  the  penitent  remnant  of  Israel.  In  Isaiah  there 
is  a  process  of  redemption  from  within  the  people.  In  Amos  the 
separation  of  sinners  is  almost  mechanical  (9:9).  In  Hosea  the 
nation  is  a  moral  unit  like  a  person,  the  faithless  spouse,  and  as 
a  unit  the  people  is  converted.  The  unrepentant  are  left  out  of 
consideration  in  Hosea.  In  Amos,  Jehovah  accomplishes  the  res¬ 
toration.  In  Hosea  the  community  repents,  repentance  being  in¬ 
duced  by  God.  In  Isaiah  the  remnant  make  an  unbroken  contin¬ 
uity,  while  in  Hosea  there  is  a  break.  In  Isaiah  the  nucleus  is 
made  by  faith  in  Jehovah.  This  faith  on  the  human  side  pre¬ 
served  them.  On  God’s  side  there  was  chastizement,  etc.,  and  the 
pouring  out  of  the  same  Spirit  that  was  poured  out  on  kings  (Isa. 
11:1-6).  A  spiritual  presence  keeps  the  community  after  creat¬ 
ing  it. 

3.  The  Spirit  of  Jehovah,  is  Jehovah  present  and  exercising 
spiritual  energy,  and  thus  chapter  11  expresses  the  same  concep¬ 
tion  as  chapter  9.  “The  old  conception  of  the  perfect  condition  of 
the  people  .  .  .  was,  that  the  perfect  salvation  through  Jehovah’s 
coming  and  abiding  among  them  would  be  when  the  idea  of  the 
union  of  God  and  man  would  be  attained  and  the  idea  of  the  re¬ 
demptive  covenant  would  have  been  realized.  .  .  .  Isaiah  varies 
that  idea  to  this,  Jehovah’s  final  and  perfect  presence  will  be  real- 


94 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


ized  through  the  Davidic  King.  He  will  be  God-with-us,  God 
almighty.  This  is  the  lofty  height  which  the  Messianic  idea  reaches 
in  Isaiah”  (Davidson,  page  370).  Did  they  reach  the  idea  of  a 
God-man? 

Jf.  The  Davidic  Ruler.  The  Davidic  house  is  here  in  prophecy 
reduced  as  it  was  actually  in  the  time  of  Christ.  The  Person  of 
Isa.  11:1  is  the  same  as  in  7:14;  and  9:6. 

a)  His  Character  (11:1-5).  Here  we  have  (1)  His  relation  to 

God  (v.  2,  3a)  and  to  the  world  (vv.  3b-5).  The  Spirit  of  God  is 
His  life  principle  (v.  4).  Solomon  asked  for  it  as  the  highest  gift 
from  Jehovah  (1  Kings  5:9,  10).  He  descended  on  Jesus  (Mark 
1:10;  John  3:24).  It  was  a  spirit  of  understanding,  binah,  dis- 
crimen,  (v.  2).  Jehovah  is  the  goal  of  this  Ruler’s  life,  “His  de¬ 
light”  (v.  3).  (2)  His  treatment  of  His  subjects.  He  delights  in 

their  spiritual  life  as  in  His  own  spirit-life.  His  interest  is  in  the 
poor  (Ps.  72:2,  4).  Note  the  absence  of  the  sword.  His  is  a  spir¬ 
itual  power  (11:4;  9:6;  Zech.  9:10;  Rev.  1:16).  The  rasha,  the 
wicked,  is  collective,  standing  for  the  class  (v.  4).  They  are  the 
ones  opposed  to  Christ,  whose  thoughts  are  anti-christian  and  the 
last  and  highest  manifestation  is  the  Anti-Christ  (2  Thess.  2:4). 

b)  Nature  and  Extent  of  His  Rule ,  (11:6-9).  His  will  be  a 
rule  of  universal  peace  and  righteousness.  Endowed  as  He  will  be 
with  the  mighty,  wise,  and  just  spirit  of  God,  His  reign  must  be 
one  of  all-embracing  peace,  even  in  the  whole  creation.  This  idea 
of  peace  even  in  the  lower  order  of  creation  is  not  unusual  (Isa. 
65:25;  Hos.  2:18;  Ezek.  34:25)  and  is  associated  with  the  perfec¬ 
tion  of  redemption  in  Christ  as  it  is  in  Rom.  8:19-23,  and  is  caused 
by  the  knowledge  of  God  (11:9;  Hos.  2:20). 

c)  International  Ruler  (11:10).  He  will  be  an  international 
standard  around  whom  the  nations  gather.  Then,  and  only  then, 
will  there  be  international  peace.  The  “root”  indicates  His  unpre¬ 
tentious  character  as  well  as  His  hidden  sourcs  of  growth.  The 
standard  denotes  the  lifted  up,  the  exalted,  visible  one  that  draws 
the  peoples  about  it  (Deut.  12:5;  Isa.  2:2-4). 

d)  Israel  United  Under  Him.  (11:11-16).  Israel  will  be  re¬ 
assembled  with  more  than  Exodus-wonders  (v.  11,  12,  15,  16). 
Thus  the  people  of  God  will  be  truly  one  (v.  13),  and  hence  mighty 
to  conquer  the  world  for  God,  which  cannot  mean  by  carnal  war¬ 
fare  because  of  the  spiritual  character  of  the  King  (11:1-5)  and 
the  wonder-working  of  Jehovah  (v.  15).  Note  as  to  this  “the  rod 
of  His  mouth”  (11:4). 


ISAIAH’S  EARLIER  PROPHECIES 


95 


§  62.  Isa.  12:1-6.  The  Song  of  Deliverance. 

1.  There  is  a  song  of  triumph  here  at  the  end  of  this  book 
(Isa.  1-12)  just  as  there  was  at  the  end  of  the  events  of  Exodus 
in  Ex.  15  and  in  Rev.  15:3,  4,  and  other  minor  outbursts  of  song  as 
in  Isa.  24:14,  15;  Isa.  26  and  35. 

2.  Not  only  will  they  be  saved  from  divine  anger  (v.  1)  but 
God  will  abide  with  them  (v.  2)  as  the  never  failing  fountain  of 
continued  salvation  (v.  3).  They  sing  and  spread  abroad  His  won¬ 
derful  works  (vv.  5,  6)  :  “Great  in  the  midst  of  thee  is  the  Holy 
One  of  Israel.” 

This  song  closes  the  Immanuel  Book. 

B.  The  Book  of  the  Nations,  XIII — XXVII. 

Note.  What  is  the  Messianic  import  of  this  Book  of  the  Na¬ 
tions?  As  God  and  Creator  of  all,  Jehovah’s  Kingdom  must  be 
universal.  Hence  the  nations  must  either  submit  to  Him  and  His 
Anointed  or  be  removed  from  the  arena  of  action  and  scene  of  His 
kingdom.  As  Israel  herself  must  be  purged  before  being  admitted 
(Isa.  2-4),  so  those  nations  which  come  in  streams  into  the  King¬ 
dom  can  only  be  the  purged  ones  (Isa.  2:2)  according  to  the  uni¬ 
versal  principle  declared  in  Isa.  2:12-22  and  as  demanded  of  Israel 
in  Isa.  2:5-11.  These  oracles  are  called  massa’,  burden,  and  are 
vignettes  of  future  events,  not  seen  in  their  historic,  progressive 
relations,  but  disconnected  and  hence  enigmatic. 

§  63.  Isa.  13:1-14:23.  Fall  of  Babylon:  Type  of  the  End. 

1.  The  Contents.  A)  The  Destruction  of  the  City  (13:1-22). 

(a)  Summoning  the  destroyer  (v.  1-3),  which  is  the  Mede  (v.  17)  ; 

(b)  their  tumultuous  gathering  (v.  4,  5),  (c)  the  dismay  of  the 

nations  (vv.  6-8);  (d)  the  day  of  Jehovah  (vv.  9-13,  cp.  Joel  3). 
(e)  the  great  destruction  (vv.  15,  16)  ;  (f)  the  final  devastation  of 
Babylon  (vv.  17-22).  B)  The  Anti-Christ  King  (14:1-23):  (a) 

his  destiny  determined  by  his  relation  to  God’s  people  (v.  1)  ;  (b) 
universal  rejoicing  at  his  fall  (vv.  2-8)  ;  (c)  his  reception  in  Sheol 
(vv.  9-11)  ;  (d)  his  pride  humbled  (vv.  12-17)  ;  (e)  his  disgrace 
(vv.  18-20)  ;  (f)  his  eternal  annihilation  is  God’s  plan  (vv.  21-23). 

2.  The  Messianic  Element.  Babylon  looms  large  as  the  enemy 
of  God’s  people  Israel  and  is  here  treated  with  reference  to  this 
attitude  (v.  1).  This  treatment  is  a  prelude  to  judgment  day.  The 
king  is  a  type  of  all  God-opposed  forces.  Hence  (a)  The  Day  of 


96 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


Jehovah  (13:7-16)  is  prefigured  with  purging  out  of  the  sinners 
out  of  the  world  (v.  9)  and  the  whole  earth  as  the  scene  of  the 
judgment  (v.  13).  (b)  A  specimen  fulfillment  (13:19-22)  as  seen 
in  the  present  day  ruins  of  Babylon,  (c)  A  type  of  Antichrist  (14: 
12-17).  We  note  here  the  devastations  (v.  12),  his  egotism  (w. 
13,  14),  and  compare  2  Thess.  2:4  and  Ezek.  28:2.  His  utter 
destruction  is  type  of  the  final  victory  of  God  (13:18-22;  Ezek.  38 
and  39;  Rev.  20:7-10). 

§  64.  Isa.  19:16-25.  Union  of  Egypt  and  Assyria  with  Israel. 

1.  The  Contents  of  Isa.  19.  (a)  Jehovah  will  visit  Egypt  for 

its  sins  and  throw  it  into  utter  confusion,  so  that  they  will  seek 
their  idols,  but  in  vain,  and  a  cruel  lord  will  overthrow  them  (vv. 
1-4).  (b)  The  Nile  will  fail  and  bring  in  its  train  a  chain  of  evil 

consequences  (vv.  5-10).  (c)  They  will  see  God’s  hand  in  this, 

though  their  wise  men  knew  it  not  because  Jehovah  put  a  spirit  of 
perverseness  into  them  (vv.  12,14). 

2.  The  Prophecy  (19:16-25).  We  note  here 

a)  A  Wholesome  Fear  of  Jehovah  (vv.  16,  17).  In  that  day 
when  they  become  aware  that  the  calamities  of  1-15  are  from  Jeho¬ 
vah,  a  panic  comes  over  Egypt  as  at  the  Exodus  when  Israel  went 
out  from  among  them  (Ex.  12:30-33),  so  that  the  very  mention  of 
the  name  of  Jehovah,  or  even  of  Judah  the  land  of  Jehovah,  will 
cause  them  to  tremble. 

b)  Their  Conversion,  (v.  18).  This  very  dread  of  Jehovah 
will  lead  to  their  conversion.  Five  cities  in  the  North  East  will 
be  devoted  to  Jehovah,  they  will  speak  the  language  of  Canaan, 
that  is,  adopt  its  religion,  swear  by  its  God,  Jehovah,  and  so 
acknowledge  Him  as  their  Supreme  God  (v.  18).  Heres,  that  is 
Destruction,  or  the  Sun  (Heliopolis)  will  be  one  and  will  now  be 
sacred  to  Jehovah  and  not  to  their  gods.  Isa.  18:7  treats  also  of 
Gentile  conversions. 

c)  The  Deepening  of  the  Time  Religion,  (vv.  19-22).  There 
will  be  an  altar  in  Egypt,  that  is,  true  worship,  and  the  land  will 
be  assigned  to  Jehovah  by  a  border  pillar  (v.  19).  In  their  trou¬ 
ble  they  will  seek  and  find  help  in  Jehovah  (v.  20).  Thus  Jehovah 
will  make  Himself  known  and  the  Egyptians  will  be  honestly  relig¬ 
ious  (v.  21),  and  discipline  will  deepen  their  love  for  Him  (v.  22). 

d)  The  Union  of  the  Nations  (vv.  23-25).  The  old  enmity  be¬ 
tween  Egypt  and  Assyria  will  cease,  and  will  give  way  to  brother- 


ISAIAH’S  EARLIER  PROPHECIES 


97 


ly  intercourse  under  God.  Israel  will  join  them  in  a  tripple  alli¬ 
ance,  with  God’s  blessing  on  all  three. 

3.  New  Testament  Fulfillment.  Starting  from  Alexandria,  the 
O.  T.  and  also  the  N.  T.  religion  spread  by  means  of  the  Greek 
translation  of  the  Bible  into  all  the  world.  Assyria  and  Egypt  are 
likely  regarded  as  representatives  of  the  Gentile  world  in  general. 
Gentiles  come  into  the  Kingdom  first,  and  after  the  fullness  of  the 
Gentiles  has  come,  the  Jews  also  will  come  in  (Rom.  11:25;  11:11, 
12).  Thus  Paul  and  Isaiah  in  this  program  agree. 

Isaiah’s  contact  with  the  Gentiles  through  Israel’s  relation 
with  them  broadened  his  vision  and  this  forms  the  human  basis  for 
the  divine  revelation  of  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

§  65.  Isa.  24-27.  The  End  of  the  World. 

Note.  The  judgments  which  were  spoken  in  13-23,  as  well  as 
those  over  Israel  (Isa.  2:5-11),  are  here  spoken  against  the  world 
as  a  whole.  The  particular,  national  prophecies  there,  are  here 
universalized.  Compare  with  Isa.  24-27,  Isa.  24:1,  3,  4,  21-24  and 

Joel. 

1.  The  World  Judgment ,  Isa.  24.  This  comprises, 

a)  Devastating  Judgment  (vv.  1-13).  This  judgment  on  the 
world  must  be  for  sins  against  the  law  written  in  their  hearts,  and 
violation  of  the  moral  sense  in  man  (Rom.  2:14,  15).  This  judg¬ 
ment  will  be  universal  and  devastate  the  sin-cursed  earth  (6-13). 
The  sin  of  v.  5  brings  the  curse  (v.  6)  and  devastation  (7-13)  but 
a  remnant  shall  escape  (v.  13). 

b)  The  Righteous  Remnant  (vv.  14,  15).  “These”  seem  to  be 
the  heathen  remnant  of  v.  13.  They  come,  purged  and  saved,  out 
of  the  tribulation  of  vv.  7-12.  From  the  ends  of  the  earth  they 
will  come  to  the  God  of  Israel  (vv.  15,  16). 

c)  Sinfulness  and  Judgment  on  Contemporaries  (16b-20). 
Isaiah  finds  for  his  contemporaries  no  comfort  from  this  distant 
salvation,  for  they  are  treacherous  and  the  earth  will  quake  under 
the  divine  judgment  upon  the  people’s  sins. 

d)  Supermundane  Beings  (vv.  21-23).  With  the  kings  of 
earth,  “angels,”  supremundane  beings,  are  punished  because  they 
are  not  sinless  (Job  4:18).  Angels  are  somehow  related  to  the 
kingdoms  of  earth  (Dan.  10:20 — 11:1).  They  will  be  imprisoned 

4 


98 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


under  sentence  from  Jehovah,  while  on  Zion  there  will  be  the  throne 
and  rule  of  God  (Isa.  24:23;  4:5;  Ex.  24:9-11). 

2.  The  Triumph.  Isa.  25.  Following  the  horrors  of  the 
judgment  there  is  a  song  as  there  was  in  Ex.  15  and  Isa.  12. 

a)  The  Praise  and  Blessing  of  Israel  (vv.  1-8).  They  will 
praise  God  for  His  judgment  (vv.  1-5)  and  live  in  blessedness  with 
Him  (vv.  6-8).  Death  and  sorrow  will  be  forever  abolished  (25:8). 
God  shows  His  glory  in  judgment  on  the  mighty  (vv.  1,  25),  who 
will  be  brought  to  glorify  God  (v.  3),  but  of  the  poor  He  is  a 
friend  (v.  4).  For  these  He  will  make  a  feast  in  Zion  (v.  6)  and 
the  nations  will  have  their  eyes  opened  to  see  now  what  God  really 
is  (v.  7).  His  people  will  be  blessed  (v.  8). 

b)  The  Doom  of  Moab  (vv.  9-12).  In  contrast  with  the  glory 
of  Israel  (w.  9,  10),  Moab  will  be  destroyed  (vv.  10b-12). 

3.  The  Justification  of  Jehovah,  Isa.  26.  In  24:14-16  we 
heard  as  it  were  a  stray  note  from  the  song  of  praise  coming 
through  the  tumult  of  the  judgment.  Here  we  have  an  enlarge¬ 
ment  or  the  whole  song  of  that  hymn. 

a)  The  Praise  of  the  city  and,  ways  of  God  (vv.  1-12).  The 
city’s  walls  are  salvation  (v.  1),  its  citizens  are  faith-keepers  (v.  2) 
and  peaceful,  for  Jehovah  is  a  Rock  to  them.  The  congregation 
becomes  heralds  of  God’s  ways  (7-10),  which  they  personally  ex¬ 
perienced  (vv.  8,  9),  yet  the  reprobate  will  not  learn  (v.  10).  But 
the  reprobate  will  have  to  see  His  works  and  God’s  people  will 
have  peace  (vv.  11,  12). 

b)  Judgment  and  Eternal  Life  (vv.  13-19).  The  end  of  God’s 
ways  is  judgment  and  eternal  life.  Only  Jehovah  is  great.  The 
oppressors  He  will  destroy  (v.  14),  and  Israel  He  will  enlarge  (v. 
15).  Left  to  itself,  His  people  was  a  failure  (vv.  16-18),  but  by 
the  grace  and  favor  with  God  its  faithful  dead  and  at  the  same 
time  His  dead  shall  rise  from  their  graves  and  live  (v.  19). 

Compare  25:8.  This  is  the  mention  of  individual  resurrection. 
Hos.  6:2  and  Ezek.  37  are  a  national  resurrection. 

c)  Consolation  for  Suffering  Israel  (vv.  20,  21).  All  of  this 
picture  of  the  future  is  a  consolation  for  Isaiah’s  people  who  are 
about  to  enter  into  great  tribulation.  God  will  punish  the  world 
for  its  iniquity  (v.  21).  Let  His  people  abide  His  day  in  faith  and 
patience  (v.  20).  There  is  here  assurance  of  final  triumph  over  all 
foes. 


ISAIAH’S  EARLIER  PROPHECIES 


99 


4.  Deliverance  From  the  World-powers.  Isa.  27.  Chapter  27 
carries  out  and  expands  26:21,  but  so  that  judgment  on  Assyria 
(Leviathan)  and  on  Babylon  (Swift  Serpent)  and  on  Egypt  (Mon¬ 
ster  by  the  sea)  leads  to  Israel’s  blessing  (v.  1). 

a)  Jehovah's  Vineyard  (vv.  2-6).  In  the  day  of  judgment  on 
the  world,  God  has  Israel  under  special  care  and  protection  (v.  2). 
His  wrath  is  against  Israel’s  foes  (v.  4),  unless  they  repent  and 
make  peace  with  Him  (v.  5).  Israel’s  blessings  shall  be  world 
wide  (v.  6.  Gen.  12:3). 

b)  Wholesome  Discipline  of  Israel  (7-11).  Not  as  He  smote 
their  foes,  did  God  smite  Israel,  but  in  measure  and  by  means  of 
the  Eastern  nations  (vv.  7,  8),  that  is  if  His  people  shall  have  re¬ 
moved  idols  etc.  (v.  10).  At  present  their  land  is  still  devastated 
(v.  10,  16)  because  they  will  not  repent  (lib,  “for  it  is  etc.),  but 
things  will  change,  for 

c)  Israel  Will  be  Restored  (vv.  12,  13).  Jehovah  will  care¬ 
fully  harvest  every  one  from  every  where  (vv.  12,  13a),  and  they 
shall  worship  at  Jerusalem,  literally,  or  in  true  Israelite  spirit, 
that  is  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  not  here  nor  there  (John  4:20-24). 

C.  The  Book  of  Zion.  Isaiah  XXVIII— XXXV. 

Note.  The  Historic  Setting.  The  court  of  Hezekiah  sought 
refuge  in  a  treaty  with  Egypt.  Samaria’s  fate,  past  or  impending, 
should  have  been  a  warning  to  those  of  Jerusalem,  but  it  was  not. 
They,  drunken  sots,  despised  on  their  part  the  provisions  God  had 
made  and  was  offering  to  them  (28:1-13). 

§  66.  Isa.  28:14-18.  The  Sure  Cornerstone  in  Zion. 

1.  The  Corner-stone.  The  people  sought  help  in  Egypt,  a  con¬ 
fidence  that  was  manifestly  misplaced  (vv.  14,  15).  As  opposed  to 
this  false  trust,  God  had  a  cornerstone  which  He  had  placed  in 
Zion.  (vv.  16-18).  This  was  a  better  refuge,  for  it  was  all  God’s 
doing.  It  has  been  laid  for  the  city  to  build  on.  It  is  thoroughly 
tried  and  found  reliable  (v.  15).  If  they  build  on  it  by  true  line 
and  plummet  it  will  offer  true  refuge  in  time  of  storm  (v.  17),  as 
against  their  diplomatic  falsehoods  (v.  18). 

2.  The  Meaning.  The  Corner-stone  is  not  Zion,  for  it  is  laid 
in  Zion,  nor  is  it  the  Davidie  dynasty  itself,  nor  God  himself,  but 
the  Messiah.  The  whole  Messianic  kingdom  is  a  temple  or  city, 
and  Christ  is  the  Corner-stone,  sustaining,  and  the  Cap-stone, 
determining  and  molding  the  whole.  He  is  the  plastic  force,  the 


100 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


invisible  dynamic,  present  in  the  Church  from  the  beginning,  all 
things  being  from,  through  and  unto  Him  (Col.  1:17;  John  1:3). 
Man  as  an  intelligent  and  willing  co-laborer  with  God,  needs  a  plan 
of  the  Kingdom  in  so  far  as  it  is  necessary  for  his  effective  co¬ 
operation.  God  is  glad  to  give  man  this  plan  (Gen.  18:17,  18). 
When  a  distant  part  of  the  divine  plan  is  revealed,  it  may  be  and 
generally  is  fulfilled  in  part,  and  then  left  for  a  time  (as  a  side  of 
a  building)  until  other  sides  are  brought  up.  With  Christ  as  co¬ 
laborer  this  can  be  done.  Without  Him,  men  fail  (John  15:5b). 

3.  Fulfillment.  In  Rom.  9:30 — 10:3  this  passage  is  quoted 
against  the  Jews  who  rejected  the  divine  indwelling  Spirit  sent  by 
Christ,  and  sought  to  lay  the  corner-stone  in  the  flesh,  in  human 
nature.  By  human  effort  man  could  never  do  any  thing  (Isa.  29: 
1-8;  31:4,  5,  8;  37:6,  7,  21-25).  Even  so  good  a  king  as  Hezekiah, 
when  acting  in  his  own  wisdom,  brought  on  the  Babylonian  cap¬ 
tivity  (Isa.  39). 

J.  The  Corner-stone  in  Ps.  118:22,  23.  The  date  of  this  psalm 
is  difficult  to  determine,  generally  after  the  return  from  Babylon, 
and  likely  at  the  dedication  of  the  Zerubbabel  temple.  The  con¬ 
gregation  enters  into  the  courts  with  praise  and  thank  God  for 
deliverance.  The  divine  presence  and  word  is  the  real  foundation 
of  this  temple  (Hag.  2:4-9;  Zech.  4:6-10).  Those  who  despised 
the  day  of  small  things  did  not  take  account  of  God  with  them. 
This  is  their  corner-stone.  The  passage  is  quoted  in  Matt.  21:42 
and  Acts  4:11  and  directly  applied  to  Jesus,  Immanuel,  God-with- 
us.  By  Peter  (1  Peter  2:4-8)  Isa.  28:16  and  Ps.  118:22,  23  are 
applied  to  Jesus  and  Christians  are  called  living  stones  of  the  Tem¬ 
ple. 

§  67.  Isa.  30-33;  Ps.  46  and  48.  The  City  of  the  Great  King. 

Note.  The  time  of  these  prophecies  is  before  the  invasion  of 
Sennacherib,  B.C.  701.  2  Kings  18:13-18. 

1.  The  Purified  People  of  God,  Isa.  30. 

a)  Egypt  and  Judah  (1-17).  The  downfall  of  Egypt  was  pre¬ 
dicted  (w.  1-7),  because  Israel  relied  on  a  treaty  with  this  decep¬ 
tive  country  against  God,  and  judgment  was  pronounced  on  Judah 
(vv.  8-17)  because  they  relied  on  Egypt  (vv.  1-7)  and  because  they 
despised  the  Torah  of  God  (vv.  8-14).  Those  in  whom  Israel  trust¬ 
ed  shall  pursue  them  in  their  flight  from  before  their  foes  (vv.  15- 
17),  and  only  a  few  of  the  Israelites  shall  remain. 


ISAIAH’S  EARLIER  PROPHECIES 


101 


b)  The  Redeemed  Israel  (18-26).  After  the  tribulation  of 
30:15-17,  there  will  be  repentance  and  a  return  to  God  for  which 
He  was  waiting  (v.  18).  There  will  then  be  peace  (v.  19).  They 
will  be  disciplined  and  taught  the  way  to  walk  in  (w.  20,  21),  and 
will  cast  away  their  idols  (v.  22).  Material  abundance  will  follow 
their  return  to  God.  Even  the  animals  will  join  in  the  benefits 
(w.  23-25).  That  this  is  an  ideal  picture  is  seen  in  v.  26,  “sun 
sevenfold  etc.” 

c)  Israel's  Foes  (vv.  27-33).  Their  foes  are  to  be  judged. 
This  foe  is  Assyria  who  will  be  judged  while  Israel  is  blessed.  The 
wrath  of  God  comes  on  Assyria  first  and  impliedly  on  all  others 
(w.  27,  28,  30-33).  Mingled  with  this  judgment  is  a  song  of  the 
redeemed  (v.  29). 

2.  The  Spirit- filled  Citizens ,  Isa.  31  and  32. 

a)  Repentance  and  Renewal  (31:1 — 32:8).  Israel  is  sinful, 
for  they  reject  God  and  go  to  Egypt  for  aid  (vv.  1-3).  Of  this  sin 
they  are  led  to  repent  by  the  fact  that  Jehovah  fights  against 
them  and  shows  them  His  might  (vv.  4-9).  Repentant,  God  heals 
them,  and  so  renews  them  that  they  will  all  be  genuine  and  noble 
(32:1-8). 

b)  The  Outpouring  of  the  Spirit.  (32:9-20).  After  the  men, 
or  along  with  them,  the  women  also  repent  on  account  of  the  great 
calamities  (9-14)  which  were  to  last  until  the  Spirit  of  God  was 
poured  out  upon  them  (v.  15).  This  outpour  of  the  Spirit  will 
bring  transformation  of  character,  righteousness,  peace  and  abun¬ 
dance  (w.  16-19).  Then  shall  they  reap  their  harvest  of  trust  in 
Jehovah  (v.  20). 

3.  The  Citizens  of  the  New  Zion ,  Isa.  33. 

a)  Its  Oppressors  (vv.  1-12).  Israel  cries  to  God  and  He 
intervenes  with  judgment  on  their  oppressors.  Israel  is  helpless, 
though  they  wail  (vv.  7-9,  11,  12),  but  God  will  help  (v.  10)  and 
do  to  their  foes  what  He  had  threatened  them  (vv.  1-6). 

b)  The  Citizens  and  New  Zion  (vv.  13-24).  The  question  is 
here  asked  and  answered,  “Who  can  dwell  in  His  holy  presence” 
(v.  6)  in  the  same  manner  as  in  Ps.  15  and  24:1-6.  (33:1-6).  With 
such  citizens  and  with  God  in  their  midst,  New  Zion  shall  be  safe 
from  invasion  (17-19)  and  permanent  (v.  20).  God  is  in  the  midst 
of  it  (v.  21)  and  will  be  her  King  (v.  22).  The  inhabitants  will 
be  rich  and  healthy  (vv.  23,  24). 


102 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


4.  Jehovah’s  Presence  in  Zion ,  Psalm  46.  His  presence  will 
make  (a)  Zion  a  refuge  in  times  of  trouble  (vv.  1-3),  (b)  a  glad 
city  because  safe  from  enemies  (w.  4-7),  while  the  nations  will  be 
subject,  not  to  Zion,  but  to  Zion’s  God  (w.  8-11  *  Dan.  7:27). 

Compare  the  Immanuel  in  Isa.  8:8,  10. 

5.  The  Beauty  and  Glory  of  Zion.  Psalm  48.  The  citizens  will 
(a)  be  proud  of  her  because  God  is  in  her  midst  (vv.  1-3)  and  (b) 
she  will  be  impregnable  against  the  attacks  of  kings,  for  the  same 
reason  that  God  is  in  her  (vv.  4-8).  They  will  pray  for  continu¬ 
ance.  Yea  she  is  built  by  God  and  he  will  keep  her  (w.  9-11). 
(d)  They  find  her  a  joy  for  ever  (vv.  12-14). 

§  68.  Micah  4  and  5.  The  Ruler  from  Bethlehem. 

1.  The  Exalted  Zion,  4:1-7,  cp.  Isa.  2:2-4.  God’s  judgments 
on  Zion  reached  a  climax  in  3:12  and  exhausted  themselves.  But 
God  does  not  stop  with  judgment.  He  goes  on  to  show  the  real 
intention  regarding  Zion,  namely,  its  exaltation.  In  opposition  to 
the  low  estate  of  the  house  of  God  (3:12)  He  sets  its  world  wide 
destiny  (4:2,  3).  When  Israel’s  religion  is  established,  they  will 
be  gathered  from  every  where  (4:6,  7).  Note  the  world  wide  ex¬ 
tent  of  God’s  rule  and  religion  here  predicted.  It  goes  beyond  any 
thing  as  yet  accomplished  in  history. 

2.  Destined  Glory  of  Zion,  4:8 — 5:1.  The  city  has  changing 
fortunes.  Evil  times  are  ahead,  but  the  pains  are  birth  pangs,  so 
that  her  former  dominion  shall  come  again  to  Zion,  that  is,  the 
tower  of  the  flock  (vv.  9,  10).  In  5:1  the  prophet  returns  to  4:9 
where  the  city  of  Zion  is  besieged.  The  world  will  overcome,  or 
reduce  to  dust,  the  City  of  God  (4:10),  but  Jehovah  will  intervene 
and  save  His  own  (4:10b).  Even  after  this  redemption  (4:10b) 
the  City  of  God  is  still  attacked  by  the  world  powers  (4:11),  but 
the  foe  does  not  know  the  mind  of  God  (4:12),  namely  that  their 
muster  is  but  for  their  own  threshing  at  the  hands  of  Israel 
(4:12,13). 

3.  The  Prince  of  Peace,  5:2-6.  In  5:1  the  thought  of  4:9  seems 
to  be  repeated  to  bring  the  lowliness  of  the  city  in  contrast  with 
the  Prince  of  Peace  now  mentioned.  He  comes  from  Bethlehem 
because  of  the  Davidic  line,  and  that  at  a  time  when  it  was  at  its 
lowest  ebb,  as  in  Isa.  11:1  and  Amos  9:9.  His  destiny  as  Prince  is 
in  strong  contrast  with  His  lowly  origin  in  the  town  of  Bethlehem, 
for  He  is  of  old  as  to  origin  and  He  is  eternal.  Because  such  a 


ISAIAH’S  EARLIER  PROPHECIES 


103 


Ruler  is  to  be  born  to  Israel,  God  will  give  her  up  only  until  she 
shall  have  brought  forth  this  Ruler  (5:3a,  cp.  4:10).  Then  Israel 
will  be  assembled  (5:3b)  and  He  will  shepherd  His  people  (5:4). 
He  will  be  peace,  and  so  He  will  bring  peace  (5:5a). 

Note.  Assyria  stands  for  all  God-opposing  forces.  These  the 
Prince  will  destroy  (5:6). 

4.  The  People  of  the  Prince  of  Peace ,  Micah  5:7-15.  These 
shall  flourish  within  (v.  7)  and  outwardly  (vv.  8,  9).  All  human 
objects  of  trust,  and  all  idols  will  be  removed,  and  God  alone  will 
be  worshipped  (w.  10-15). 

5.  Fulfillment.  All  these  predictions  came  true  in  the  Baby¬ 
lonian  captivity  and  the  return  from  there,  but  in  their  deeper 
meaning  they  will  be  true  under  the  rule  of  Jesus  Christ  (Matt. 
2:6).  His  eternity,  John  1:1. 

§  69.  Isa.  34  and  35.  Edom  and  Zion  in  Contrast. 

Note.  These  two  chapters  are  a  pair  and  close  the  Book  of 
Zion  (28-35)  as  the  world-judgment  (24-27)  closed  the  Book  of  the 
nations,  and  as  chapter  12  closed  the  Immanuel  Book. 

1.  The  Judgment  on  Edom,  Isa.  34.  Compare  Isa.  63. 

a)  Judgment  and  Devastation.  In  reality  the  judgment  here 

under  consideration  is  universal.  This  is  (1)  announced  (vv.  1-4). 
The  nations  are  called  on  to  hear  (v.  1)  their  own  judgment  (w.  2, 
3),  and  even  the  heavenly  host  (the  visible  stars  standing  for 
the  invisible)  are  included  (Compare  Isa.  24:21,  22;  65:17).  (2) 

The  special  object  of  God’s  wrath  is,  however,  Edom  (w.  5-7),  for 
it  stands  as  a  prominent  example  of  a  God-opposed  nation.  In  one 
see  all.  The  oxen  indicate  great  nations  (v.  7).  Bozrah  is  the 
cheif  city  of  Edom.  (3)  The  result  of  the  judgment  is  the  desola¬ 
tion  of  Edom’s  land  (vv.  8-17).  Desolate  and  wild  it  will  be  like 
Sodom.  Those  persons  then  living  will  find  it  recorded  in  the 
Book  (of  prophecy,  v.  16).  All  predictions  will  have  come  true. 

b)  The  Victor  from  Bozrah  (Isa.  63).  The  prophet  asks  a 
question  which  Jehovah  answers  (v.  1).  A  second  question  (v.  2) 
and  answer  (vv.  3-6).  Compare  Obad.  15-26.  In  so  far  as  this  is 
predictive  of  Christ  it  cannot  mean  that  there  is  any  spite  or  hatred 
here  against  Edom  as  a  nation,  but  in  so  far  as  they,  or  any  one 
identifies  himself  definitely  with  evil.  Christ’s  blood  bought  vic¬ 
tory  was  over  Sin  and  Satan,  the  real  essence  of  enmity  (Rev.  19). 


104 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


Gethsamene  means  oil  press,  gath  shemen.  Edom  was  the  arch  foe 
of  God’s  people  Israel  (Ezek.  35;  Lam.  4:21,  22;  Ps.  137:7). 

2.  The  Blessings  on  Zion,  Isa.  35.  In  contrast  to  Isa.  34,  here 
nature  is  transfigured  and  glorified  (vv.  1,  2,  cp.  Ezek.  34:25-27; 
36:35),  and  saved  Israel  comes  home  (vv.  3,  4)  to  great  blessings 
(w.  5-10).  These  are  blessings  of  every  kind.  There  will  be  no 
sick  nor  cripples  (vv.  5,  6),  nor  unfruitful  land  (v.  7).  Life  will 
move  smoothly  on  the  king’s  highway  of  holiness  (v.  8)  in  perfect 
safety  (v.  9)  and  in  joy  undimmed  (v.  10).  All  this  looks  beyond 
the  merely  literal  to  a  glorious  spiritual  fulfillment,  which  of  course 
will  bring  the  material  blessings  in  its  train. 

Summary  of  Chapter  Six. 

In  general  there  is  during  this  time  the  impending  invasion  of 
Assyria  as  God’s  rod  for  unruly  Israel.  Suffering  and  judgment 
lead  to  repentance  and  the  reign  of  the  Immanuel. 

In  particular,  we  have  set  before  us  the  ideal  toward  which 
Israel  is  to  move,  but  attained  only  through  the  valley  of  humilia¬ 
tion  (§58).  To  unbeliever  and  believer,  Immanuel  is  a  sign, 
of  death,  to  the  one  and  life  to  the  other  (§  59).  Judgment  of  Is¬ 
rael  leads  to  the  reign  of  the  Prince  of  Peace  (§  60).  Another 
series  of  divine  strokes  on  Israel  and  on  Assyria,  God’s  rod  for 
the  son  He  loves,  introduces  restoration  and  international  unity 
under  the  standard  of  the  Stem  of  Jesse  (§  61).  Like  Israel,  the 
nations  are  individually  judged  and  sifted  and  their  ruler  exposed 
as  Anti-Christ  in  essence  (§63).  In  the  sifting,  some  will  come 
out  for  God  and  unite  with  Israel  as  a  third  (§  64).  In  the  pic¬ 
ture  of  the  end  of  the  world  Israel  will  feast  on  Zion  (§  65).  In 
the  building  up  of  this  Zion  Christ  will  be  the  Cornerstone  (§  66) 
and  this  city  of  the  great  King  will  be  glorious  (§  67),  and  its 
Ruler  eternal  and  divine,  though  He  will  come  from  lowly  Beth¬ 
lehem  (§  68).  Edom  and  Zion  will  stand  in  great  contrast  (§  69). 

Literature. 

Briggs,  pages  180-219;  Orelli,  pages  255-313;  Delitzsch,  §§ 
28-34. 


JEREMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES 


105 


CHAPTER  SEVEN. 

JEREMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES. 

The  time  is  the  Babylonian  Period,  Josiah  to  the  Fall  of  Jeru¬ 
salem.  Babylonian  domination  and  the  impending  Fall  character¬ 
ize  the  Period. 

§  70.  Zeph.  1-3.  The  Great  Judgment  of  Jehovah 

Zephaniah  lived  under  Josiah,  B.C.  640-609,  between  the  12th 
and  the  18th  years  of  that  king.  The  external  occasion  of  his 
prophecy  was  either  the  Chaldean  or  the  Scythian  invasion.  The 
internal  occasion  was  the  idolatry  of  Israel. 

1.  Judgment  on  the  World  and  Jerusalem,  Zeph.  1.  By  its 
idolatry  Jerusalem  has  exposed  itself  to  world- judgment. 

a)  The  World  Judgment  (vv.  2,  3).  The  destruction  of  the 
world  is  absolutely  total,  every  thing  must  go.  The  world  cannot 
abide  the  Day  of  Jehovah. 

b)  Judgment  on  Jerusalem  (vv.  4-9).  This  world- judgment 
is  here  announced  for  a  warning  to  Judah.  One  with  the  world  in 
sin  means  one  with  it  in  judgment.  All  classes  and  conditions  of 
Jerusalem  will  be  struck;  Baal  worshippers  and  Jehovah  worship¬ 
pers  (vv.  4-6)  ;  princes  and  people  of  Israel  (w.  7,  8)  and  those 
who  break  into  houses  (?).  Formal  Jehovah  worshippers  and  idol¬ 
aters  are  alike  taken  together. 

c)  The  Day  of  Jehovah  (vv.  14-18).  This  day  is  at  hand  and 
terrible  (14-17),  and  the  Israelites  cannot  escape  it  any  more  than 
the  heathen  world  (v.  18). 

2.  The  Call  to  Humility,  Zeph.  2.  This  call  is  given  in  view  of 
the  coming  wrath. 

a)  The  Call  (vv.  1-3).  The  address  is  primarily  to  Israel,  but 
will  likely  as  well  apply  to  the  nations.  But  even  the  best  of  them 
needs  repentance,  for  who  can  abide  that  day?  (v.  3). 

b)  The  Reason  for  the  Call  (vv.  4-12).  The  reason  for  the 
call  is  the  impending  judgment  of  the  nations.  (1)  Philistia  shall 
be  utterly  destroyed  (vv.  4-6)  but  after  their  restoration  they  shall 


106 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


belong  to  Jehovah  (v.  7).  (2)  Moab  and  Ammon,  for  their  revil¬ 

ing  of  God’s  people  (w.  8,  10)  shall  become  like  Sodom  (vv.  9, 
10a).  The  returned  remnant  of  Israel  will  possess  them  (v.  10b) 
and  all  the  earth  to  the  far  off  West  (coast  lands,  v.  11).  These 
shall  not  come  to  Jerusalem,  but  each  shall  worship  Jehovah  in  his 
own  home  land.  In  this  verse  (11)  there  is  universal  worship  of 
Jehovah.  Compare  3:10;  Isa.  2:2-4;  19:23-25;  Mai.  1:11.  Here 
acceptable  prayer  depends  upon  the  spirit  and  not  on  the  place 
(John  4:21-24).  (3)  Cush  and  Nineveh  shall  be  desolate  as  over 

against  the  City  of  God  which  shall  have  great  joy.  This  shows 
that  the  city  is  used  figuratively,  (w.  13-15). 

3.  Jerusalem  and  the  World,  Zeph.  3.  Jerusalem,  purged,  shall 
be  the  City,  or  capital,  of  God  and  the  purged  world  will  be  His 
Kingdom. 

a)  The  Present  Corrupt  Jerusalem,  (vv.  1-7).  She  is  rebell¬ 
ious,  unclean,  disobedient  and  corrupt  (v.  1)  ;  her  very  head  men 
and  teachers  are  so  (vv.  2-4)  in  the  face  of  the  fact  that  God  re¬ 
vealed  Himself  to  her  and  destroyed  nations  for  her  sake  (vv.  5, 
6)  and  promised  life  to  her  (v.  7). 

b)  Transformation  of  the  Heathen  (w.  8-9).  The  quiet  be¬ 
lievers  in  the  land  are  asked  to  wait  calmly  until  the  terrible  judg¬ 
ments  on  the  nations  is  over  (v.  8)  when  God  will  bring  the  nations 
to  Him  in  worship  and  service.  Judgment  is  the  means  of  conver¬ 
sion,  at  least  of  some.  Even  their  language  will  be  pure  of  idol¬ 
atry,  etc. 

c)  Transformation  of  Judah-lsrael  (vv.  10-13).  The  remnant 
escaped  from  judgment  (unrepentant  sinners  are  destroyed  rather 
than  repent),  will  make  an  honest  and  peaceful  people  (v.  13),  be¬ 
cause  poor  and  humble  they  will  continue  to  rely  on  Jehovah  their 
sustaining  power  (v.  12). 

d)  The  Finally  Blessed  Israel  (vv.  14-20).  The  enemy  has 
gone  (w.  14,  15)  Jehovah  is  their  King  (v.  15b),  and  abides  in 
their  midst  (vv.  16,  17).  The  dispersed,  the  lame  etc.,  will  be  re¬ 
stored  and  made  glorious  (vv.  18-20). 

Jf.  Fulfillment.  Zeph.  3:17  is  one  of  the  boldest  verses  in  the 
Old  Testament  in  this  picture  of  the  indwelling  of  God  in  the  con¬ 
gregation,  and  the  world  being  for  God,  and  all  of  one  accord,  of 
one  language,  and  free  from  sin. 

Note.  In  Zephaniah  judgment  is  on  all  (1:1-4):  on  the 
heathen,  on  Jerusalem  and  all  of  it.  On  the  ruin  of  Jerusalem 


JEREMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES 


107 


(1:10)  compare  the  fall  under  Titus  A.D.  70.  On  the  Day  of  Je¬ 
hovah  (1:14)  compare  Joel  2;  Amos  5:18,  20.  Repentance  alone 
will  save  from  judgment  (2:1-3),  that  is,  any  nationality  can  thus 
be  saved  (2:11).  On  the  isles  or  coast  lands  (2:11)  compare 
Num.  24:24.  In  3:10  the  pilgrimage  is  figurative  (Mai.  1:11; 
John  4:23). 

In  Zephaniah  the  Messiah  is  not  mentioned,  but  God  is  in  the 
midst  of  His  people,  which  is  the  Messiah  in  substance,  if  not  in 
name,  for  that  is  Immanuel,  God-with-us. 

§  71.  Psalm  87.  The  Adoption  of  the  Nations. 

1.  Psalm  87  expands  Ps.  86:9.  “All  nations  which  thou  hast 
made  shall  come  and  worship  before  thee,  O  Lord.”  The  psalm  is 
pre-Exilic,  for  after  the  Exile  the  nations  are  thought  of  as  sub¬ 
ject  to  Israel,  and  not  as  converted  by  Israel  (cp.  Isa.  2:2-4;  11: 
10;  Ps.  45:14-16). 

dations  which  He  loves  (vv.  1-3).  She  is  the  birthplace  of  the 
nations  and  their  home,  of  Rahab  (Egypt),  Babylon,  Philistia, 
Tyre  and  Ethiopia.  “Know  me”  is  for  salvation  (John  17:3),  and 
Zion  is  the  chosen  dwelling  place  of  God,  for  here  are  His  foun- 
the  birth  is  a  spiritual  or  second  birth.  She  is  the  source  of  their 
joy  (v.  7;  Isa.  12). 

2.  Messianic  Element.  Zion  will  be  the  spiritual  mother  of  all 
nations,  that  is,  the  religion  for  which  she  is  the  earthly  home  will 
spread  over  all  the  world  (Ps.  87:5a;  86:9;  Gen.  12:1-3;  Matt. 
28:19).  This  religion  will  be  the  source  of  all  joy,  as  well  as  of  all 
life.  There  will  be  a  happy  spiritual  brotherhood  with  God  as  one 
Father  and  Zion  as  one  Mother. 

§  72.  Psalm  80.  Restoration  of  the  Vine,  Israel. 

1.  The  Psalm.  A)  Appeal  for  Deliverance  (1-7)  from  press¬ 
ing  calamity,  “Save  us  O  Shepherd”  (vv.  1-3),  we  are  a  laughing¬ 
stock  (vv.  4-7).  B)  The  Nation  is  in  Ruin  (vv.  8-11),  like  a  vine 
trodden  down  by  wild  beasts  (vv.  12,  13),  hence  have  pity  (w. 
14-19). 

2.  The  Messiamic  Element.  Psalm  80:17  echoes  Gen.  49:  22- 
24,  Joseph  flourishing  by  the  favor  of  God,  and  uses  the  idea  of 
“son  of  man,”  the  ideal  man  of  Ps.  8,  and  the  right  hand  man 
from  Ps.  110:5  and  applies  both  to  “the  Messianic  head  of  Israel 
who  is  the  object  of  divine  favor  in  the  times  of  the  restoration.” 
The  divine  favor  and  glory  saves  (Ps.  80:1c,  3,  19b). 


108 


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§  73.  Habakkuk.  The  Advent  of  Jehovah  in  Glory. 

1.  The  Book  of  Habakkuk.  It  belongs  to  the  time  of  Jehoia- 
kim,  B.C.  609-598,  before  the  battle  of  Carchemish  (B.C.  606). 
Jeremiah  emphasizes  the  unrighteousness  of  Israel,  Habakkuk  that 
of  Israel’s  conquerors,  the  Chaldeans.  His  outlook  is  that  of  purg¬ 
ing,  not  of  ruin  for  Israel.  He  portrays  the  future  dealings  of 
God  with  His  people.  Escape  is  by  faith  alone. 

2.  Judgment ,  Hab.  1.  This  judgment  is  the  invasion  of  the 

Chaldeans,  (a)  The  prophet  complains  of  the  sins  of  his  people, 
(vv.  1-4).  (b)  In  answer  God  tells  him  that  He  is  bringing  the 

Chaldeans  to  punish  his  people  (w.  5-11).  (c)  The  prophet  now 

complains  against  the  Chaldeans,  that  they  are  cruel,  treacherous, 
and  worship  their  military  prowess  (vv.  11,  13,  16). 

3.  God’s  Answer:  Faith  or  Woes.  Hab.  2.  The  text  of  this 
chapter  is  in  v.  4  where  the  first  half  refers  to  the  Chaldean  and 
the  second  to  the  righteous  man  for  whom  Habakkuk  pleads 
(1:13).  The  woes  are  intended  for  the  Chaldean  and  those  like 
him. 

a)  Faith  (2:4).  Verses  2-4  are  the  soul  of  the  book.  Its  im¬ 
portance  is  indicated  in  the  words,  “Write  it  down”  (2:2).  Faith 
unites  one  with  God.  Hence  the  believer  cannot  die  because  he  is 
one  with  God,  and  God  is  God.  (1:12;  Gen.  15:6;  Rom.  1:17;  Gal. 
3:11).  Faith  makes  eventually  like  God,  zaddiq,  qadosh,  righteous, 
holy,  for  it  seeks  and  will  find  righteousness  (Matt.  5:6).  They 
are  to  have  faith  in  a  just  and  promise-keeping  God.  This  faith  is 
made  by  His  oracle  (Rom.  10:17).  The  attitude  of  God  demands  a 
humble  (v.  4)  and  honest  relation  to  Him,  as  over  against  pride, 
such  as  is  in  the  Chaldeans.  Pride  works  for  fire  and  ruin  (2:13). 
Pride  is  the  characteristic  of  heathenism  and  runs  into  self-deifi¬ 
cation  (Isa.  14:12-14;  2  Thess.  2:4). 

b)  The  Five  Woes.  These  are  pronounced  (1)  on  the  greedy 
(vv.  6-8),  (2)  on  evil  gain  (vv.  9-11),  (c)  on  blood  and  greed,  (4) 
on  treachery  (vv.  15-17),  (5)  on  idolatry  (vv.  18-20).  The  reason 
for  these  woes  is  given  in  v.  14,  the  fact  the  earth  shall  be  filled 
with  the  knowledge  of  God.  In  contrast  to  them  Jehovah  is  in  His 
holy  temple,  let  all  the  earth  keep  silence  before  Him  (v.  20). 

4.  The  Advent  of  Jehovah ,  Hab.  3.  This  is  an  advent  for  sal¬ 
vation  and  judgment  as  in  the  days  of  the  deliverance  from  Egypt 
(3:3-15).  It  is  the  prophet’s  response  to  God  as  He  revealed  Him¬ 
self  in  chapter  2  (3:3,  16-18)  where  he  speaks  in  the  name  of  the 


JEREMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES 


109 


congregation.  In  the  imagery  drawn  from  the  Exodus  (3:3-15) 
the  prophet  sees  the  world-powers  destroyed.  In  order  to  establish 
His  own  kingdom,  God  comes  on  His  “chariots  of  salvation”  (v. 
8c),  which  are  judgments  to  the  nations  but  salvation  to  His  people 
(v.  13.)  The  judgment  is  especially  on  the  man  of  sin  (vv.  13,  14). 

§  74.  Jer.  3:14-18.  Jerusalem  the  Throne  of  Jehovah. 

1.  The  Prophet  Jeremiah.  Jeremiah  began  his  ministry  in  the 
thirteenth  year  of  Josiah,  B.C.  627  (Jer.  1:2)  and  continued  until 
after  the  fall  of  Jerusalem,  from  his  20th  to  his  80th  year  of  life, 
a  period  of  60  years.  It  was  a  time  of  decline.  The  unrighteous¬ 
ness,  immorality,  and  idolatry  of  the  people,  and  the  treachery  of 
her  princes,  had  ultimately  to  lead  to  the  ruin  of  Judah- Jerusalem. 
It  was  a  present  ruin  but  looked  to  a  future  salvation  and  glory, 
for  the  promises  of  God  to  Jacob’s  seed  and  David’s  house  cannot 
fail  (Jer.  4:2;  11:5;  31:35-37;  33:17,  18,  26;  46:28).  Salvation 
in  Jerusalem  is  redemption,  that  is  from  sin,  and  the  gift  of  the 
Spirit  as  against  outward  symbols,  like  the  ark  (3:16;  4:4),  the 
Law  (8:8)  and  prophecy  (5:31).  Above  all  ceremonial,  Jeremiah 
sets  repentance  from  the  heart,  metanoia,  change  of  mind  (4:1-4). 

2.  The  Prophecy  S:1U-18.  This  was  really  directed  to  North¬ 
ern  Israel  (v.  12)  as  a  rebuke  to  the  more  treacherous  Judah  (v. 
11).  No  doubt  Judah  looked  on  N.  Israel  as  awefully  wicked. 
God  here  claims  they  are  less  so  than  Judah.  The  words  apply  to 
Judah.  The  condition  of  restoration  of  either  is  repentamce  (v. 
14a,  vv.  1-4).  God  will  restore  them  by  selecting  them  one  by  one 
(v.  14b)  and  Her  rulers  will  be  God-approved  shepherds  (v  15). 
They  will  be  spiritual  not  formal  (v.  16).  God  will  be  really  en¬ 
throned  among  them  and  they  will  have  what  the  ark  symbolized 
(v.  17).  Their  former  division  will  cease  (v.  18).  All  nations 
will  be  gathered  there  under  God  (v.  17)  and  Gen.  12:3;  Isa.  2:2, 
will  be  realized,  for  God  will  be  with  them,  Immanuel. 

§  75.  Jer.  23:1-8;  33:14-22.  The  Righteous  Branch. 

Note.  Zemach  Zaddiq,  23:5;  33:15,  Zemach  is  not  really  a 
branch,  but  a  sprout,  or  planting  and  is  righteous,  according  to  the 
will  and  idea  of  God.  A  branch  is  a  part  of  a  tree.  Zemach  is 
that  which  grows,  a  sprig  of  grass,  etc.,  from  the  verb  zamach,  to 
sprout  like  grass,  etc.  The  zemach  is  the  whole  growing  thing. 

1.  The  Settmg.  In  23:1,2  the  prophet  sums  up  the  rebukes 
of  21:1 — 22:30.  Israel’s  wicked  and  worthless  kings  have  allowed 


110 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


Israel  to  scatter.  God  himself  will  bring  them  back  and  feed 
them  (23:3,  4). 

2.  The  Prediction ,  of  the  ruler,  his  name,  and  God’s  promise. 

a)  The  Davidic  Ruler,  (23:1-5).  There  will  be  a  new  start, 
for  God  will  raise  up  a  true  Davidic  Ruler  who  will  truly  corre¬ 
spond  to  the  ideal  David  (23:5;  33:14)  under  whom  Israel  will 
be  safe  and  united  (23:6a;  33:15). 

b)  His  Name  (23:6b;  33:15).  This  will  be  Jehovah  Zidekenu, 
Jehovah  our  righteousness.  The  suffix,  nu,  our,  is  as  in  the  case 
of  immamiel,  the  people.  In  33:16  it  is  the  people  that  bears  this 
name  for  they  shall  then  have  become  like  their  Ruler.  The  word, 
righteousness,  indicates  salvation  as  well  as  righteous  character. 
The  same  is  the  case  in  the  New  Testament  (1  John  1:9  righteous 
to  forgive).  On  justification  compare,  Jer.  50:20;  31:34;  Dan. 
9:24;  Ezek.  36:25.  On  righteous  character  compart  Jer.  31:33, 
Ezek.  36:27.  It  is,  therefore,  not  an  institution  with  which  we 
have  here  to  do,  or  a  mere  law,  or  formal  conduct  but  it  is  Jeho¬ 
vah  that  justifies  and  lives  in  the  heart  and  so  also  sanctifies  as 
well  as  saves.  The  word  branch  or  shoot,  is  not  the  name  but  de¬ 
scribes  Him,  as  a  living  organism  that  develops.  He  is  the  same 
as  the  One  in  Isa.  7:14;  8:8;  9:6,  7. 

c)  The  Glorious  Return  (33:17-22;  23:7,  8).  After  70  years 
of  bondage  (25:12;  29:10),  God  will  bring  Israel  back  to  their 
own  land  in  a  manner  so  glorious  and  astounding  that  the  Exodus 
from  Egypt  will  sink  into  insignificance  (23:7,  8).  His  promise 
He  will  keep  (2  Sam.  7:12-14;  Jer.  33:17).  Israel’s  priesthood 
will  abide  (v.  18;  Num.  25:12,  13).  These  two  covenants,  with 
David’s  Son  on  the  throne,  and  an  everlasting  priesthood  (Num. 
25:13),  are  sure  as  the  course  of  nature  (Jer.  33:20-22).  With 
33:20  compare  Gen.  8:20-22.  With  33:22  compare  Gen.  15:5;  13: 
16;  22:17.  On  the  irrevocable  covenant  see  (Jer.  31:35-37;  33:25). 
“This  means  that  in  the  future  there  will  be  a  condition  of  perfect 
righteousness,  when  God  will  bring  about  the  condition  which  will 
be  well-pleasing  to  Himself,  a  condition  of  His  people  demanding 
world  recognition,  and  that  all  this  will  come  through  the  incom¬ 
parable  and  righteous  King  of  Israel  from  David’s  house.”  Orelli 
Com.  on  Jer.  23:8. 

§  76.  Jer.  30  and  31.  Restoration  and  New  Covenant. 

1 .  The  Book  of  Comfort,  30-33.  This  was  given  in  the  10th 


JEREMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES 


111 


year  of  Zedekiah  (32:1),  a  year  or  so  before  the  fall  of  Jerusalem. 
It  contains  A)  Words  of  Comfort,  30  and  31  (1)  introduction,  30: 
1-3,  (2)  Setting  up  of  the  New  Davidic  kingdom,  30:4 — 31:26,  (3) 
Comfort,  the  New  Covenant,  31:27-40.  B)  The  Anathoth  Field 
Bought,  Jer.  32.  (1)  The  transaction,  vv.  1-15,  (2)  a  prayer  for 

explanation,  16-25,  (3)  the  divine  explanation,  26-44.  C)  The 
New  Consolation,  Jer.  33.  (1)  Blessing  the  unfortunate  prophet, 

vv.  2-13,  (2)  the  justified  congregation  of  the  last  days,  vv.  14-26. 

2.  Words  of  Comfort:  Contents.  30  and  31.  After  the  theme 

the  return  of  Israel  to  its  land  (30:1-3).  There  is  A)  The  redemp¬ 
tion  of  Israel  as  a  whole  (30:4-24)  in  which  there  is  (a)  the 
promise  (4-11),  the  coming  capitivity  is  taken  for  granted  and  de¬ 
liverance  from  it  is  promised  (v.  3)  but  before  this  can  be  there 
must  be  judgment  (vv.  4-7a).  After  that  God  will  deliver  them 
(vv.  7,  8)  when  they  will  serve  Jehovah  (v.  9)  and  He  will  bring 
them  back  (v.  10).  The  nations  shall  cease  (v.  11).  (b)  God 

alone  can  help  them  (vv.  12-17),  for  their  wound  is  incurable  (v. 
12,  13),  their  sins  great  (v.  14),  but  He  can  and  will  heal  them  (v. 
16,  17).  (c)  Jerusalem  will  be  restored  to  favor  (30:18-24).  It 

will  be  glorious  (vv.  18-20).  Prince  and  people  will  be  with  God 
(w.  21,  22).  The  wicked  will  be  destroyed  (v.  23,  24;  cp.  23:19). 
B)  The  two  divisions  (31:1-26.  (a)  Ephraim’s  share  (1-22). 

Resolution  to  bring  back  the  people  (1-6)  and  the  accomplishment 
of  it  (7-14)  and  Rachel  comforted  (15-22).  (b)  Judah’s  part  (31: 

23-27).  C)  The  Renewal  of  Whole  Israel  (31:27-40).  (a)  The 

New  Life  (27-30),  (b)  The  New  Covenant  (31:31-40). 

3.  Messianic  Elements. 

a)  Salvation  from  God.  Though  delayed  by  tribulation  (30: 
7-9),  yet  David  (his  Seed),  the  God-fearing  king,  will  rule  over 
them,  and  they  shall  be  saved  from  trouble  (v.  7c).  The  sins 
(15b)  demand  punishment  (12-15a).  Their  foes  will  be  destroyed 
(v.  16),  and  their  health  restored  (v.  17).  Stress  is  laid  on  the 
malignity  of  the  disease  (31:12,  15). 

b)  The  Prince.  He  is  of  the  house  of  David  (30:9),  of  them¬ 
selves  not  a  stranger  (30:22a;  Heb.  2:14-18),  one  who  realizes 
the  difficult  priestly  task  of  close  fellowship  with  God  (30:22b; 
Lev.  10:3).  Hence  He  is  impliedly  Priest- King  (Ps.  110:4),  for 
He  mediates  the  salvation  and  union  of  the  people,  His  people  with 
God  (30:21;  Rom.  5:1,  2;  Eph.  2:14-18).  The  word  qarab,  draw 
near,  is  a  technical  term  in  the  functions  of  the  priest  and  is  the 
keynote  of  the  O.  T.  worship  and  ritual. 


112 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


c)  Restoration  of  United  Israel.  (30:3;  31:5,  6,  15-20).  Of 
this  reunited  kingdom  Jerusalem  will  be  the  center  and  home  of 
God  (31:6).  It  will  be  a  new  kingdom  and  the  joy  of  the  nations 
of  the  earth  (31:7).  There  will  be  a  new  thing  in  the  earth,  “A 
woman  shall  encompass  a  man”  (31:22),  that  is,  the  weaker  per¬ 
son  will  protect  the  stronger,  a  reversal  of  nature.  Human  strength, 
usually  boasting  of  its  ability,  will  be  of  no  avail  then,  but  God 
will  intervene  to  save  sinful  man  and  will  bring  in  the  glory-state 
(31:23-26;  cp.  Eph.  2:5,  8;  Col.  2:13,  14). 

d)  Personal  Liberty  and  Responsibility.  (31:29,  30).  In  the 
O.  T.  Israel  was  rather  a  mass  quantum.  Circumcision,  which  ad¬ 
mitted  to  the  kingdom  was  performed  at  a  time  when  the  individ¬ 
ual  was  irresponsible  and  then,  too,  the  women  came  in  as  repre¬ 
sented  by  the  men.  The  N.  T.  rests  on  the  human  will,  that  is  in 
an  individual  personality  (John  5:40,  “ye  will  not,”  ouk  thelete,  are 
not  willing  to  come.  Gal.  5:1;  Ex.  20:5). 

e)  The  New  Govencmt.  (31:31-34).  (1)  The  old  Mosaic  cove¬ 

nant  (Ex.  19-24)  is  to  be  abolished  because  it  was  not  kept,  could 
not  be  kept  (31:31,  32),  although  God  did  all  that  He  could  for 
them  at  that  time  and  stage  (31:32c;  Heb.  8:6-9),  nor  can  the  old 
relation  be  restored  or  repaired.  (2)  The  New  will  be  inward, 
spontaneous,  a  spiritual  dynamic  that  works  out  the  law  as  the  law 
of  life  (31:32).  The  life  that  they  will  then  live  will  not  be  taught 
any  more  than  the  bird  will  be  taught  to  fly  or  the  fish  to  swim 
(31:33).  The  law  will  be  the  morphosis,  form,  of  the  divine  vital 
dunamis,  power,  from  the  fact  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  within 
(2  Tim.  3:5;  John  14:17  end).  It  will  not  be  the  abolishing  of 
the  essence  of  the  old  covenant,  but  the  fulfilling  of  it,  of  the  Torah 
of  the  Berith  (the  law  of  the  covenant)  with  a  new  power,  the 
ability  and  willingness  to  keep.  There  will  not  be  the  “thou  shalt” 
from  without,  but  the  “I  can”  and  the  “I  will”  from  within  (Phil. 
2:13;  Heb.  8:8-13;  Phil.  4:13).  This  idea  is  also  expressed  in 
Jer.  32:40;  Ezek.  36:26,  27. 

The  “thou  shalt”  and  the  “I  will”  become  one  and  gradually 
the  “I  am”  will  be  the  same,  that  is,  the  covenant  will  become  a 
reality  in  the  people  as  it  is  in  Jesus  Christ  (John  1:1,  14;  Col. 
2:9).  The  Spirit  will  not  only  teach,  but  He  will  enable  the  be¬ 
liever  (31:34;  1  John  2:20,  27;  Jer.  30:22;  32:39).  (3)  The 

prerequisite  to  the  above  transformation  is  the  blotting  out  of  sin. 
This  precedes  (as  it  must  in  reality)  in  Ezek.  36:25,  26,  but  here 
it  follows  (31:34;  33:8).  (4)  Will  there  be  a  literal  restoration  of 


PROPHECIES  OF  EZEKIEL  AND  DANIEL 


113 


Israel?  (Jer.  31:35-37)  and  of  Jerusalem  (31:38-40;  Zech.  14: 

20,  21)? 

All  this  brightness  of  the  future  was  predicted  just  before  the 
Fall  of  the  Nation! 

§  77.  Psalm  89.  The  Sure  Mercies  of  David. 

Note.  “This  psalm  is  the  classic  expression  of  Messianic  long¬ 
ing  hope,  so  far  as  this  is  connected  with  the  house  of  David.  It 
was  written  when  the  Davidic  kingdom  was  very  low  and  in 
strange  contrast  with  the  glorious  promises  made  to  David  (2  Sam. 
7:12-16). 

1.  The  Greatness  of  Israel's  God,  Ps.  89:1-18.  The  purpose  of 
the  psalmist  is  to  sing  the  kindness  of  Jehovah  (vv.  1,  2),  to  recall 
the  covenant  of  God  with  David  (vv.  3,  4),  and  God’s  glory  in  the 
heavens  (w.  5-7).  He  rules  over  the  nations  (vv.  8-10)  and  His 
people  are  blessed  (vv.  15-18). 

2.  His  Covenant  with  David,  Ps.  89:19-37.  This  is  an  enlarge¬ 
ment  of  89:3,  4.  (1)  David  is  anointed  and  helped  against  his 

foes  (19-25).  Note  the  history  of  David.  (2)  The  Ruler  (David, 
his  descendant)  is  God’s  first-born  and  is  exalted  (Ps.  89:26,  27). 
(3)  These  promises  of  God  are  irrevocable,  true  for  ever  (89:28- 
37  2  Sam.  7:12-16).  All  this  in  spite  of  sin  (89:30-32;  2  Sam. 
7:14). 

3.  The  Sad  Contrast,  89:38-57.  (1)  At  the  time  then  pres¬ 

ent  the  house  of  David  was  forsaken  of  God  and  despised  (w.  38- 
41).  (2)  He  falls  before  his  foes  (89:42-45).  (3)  How  long  shall 

this  continue?  The  psalm  shows  that  the  promise  to  David  was 
trusted. 

§  78.  Psalm  132.  Zion’s  Glory  under  Davidic  Sprout. 

Note.  “God’s  promise  of  a  perpetual  dynasty  is  recalled  as  a 
ground  of  hope.“  Dummelow.  It  echoes  the  promise  that  Jehovah 
has  chosen  Zion  as  His  special  abode. 

1.  The  Contents  of  the  Psalm.  A)  David's  Prayer  (1-10). 
See  2  Sam.  7:1-3.  He  prays  that  God  may  remember  for  him  his 
vow  to  build  Jehovah  a  house  (vv.  1-5)  and  that  He  may  reveal 
himself  in  the  temple.  They  found  the  ark,  symbol  of  His  pres¬ 
ence,  in  Ephrah,  at  Jaer  (RVM),  which  is  Kirjath-jaerim 
(1  Chron.  13:5;  1  Sam.  7:1).  They  long  for  its  presence,  for 
Jehovah,  in  Jerusalem  their  home. 


114 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


2.  God’s  Oath  to  David,  132:11-18;  2  Sam.  7:12-16.  God  made 
an  oath  (v.  11;  2  Sam.  7:12-14).  He  will  dwell  in  Zion  (vv.  13, 
14)  and  bless  her  (v.  15),  and  give  salvation  through  His  priests 
(v.  16).  On  the  basis  of  God’s  promise  to  David,  the  psalm  prays 
that  God  manifest  himself  accordingly  in  Zion. 

3.  Messianic  Elements.  It  is  a  longing  for  God’s  presence, 
God-with-us,  Immanual,  by  pilgrims  to  Zion.  The  promise  to  David 
is  still  in  the  future. 

Summary  of  Chapter  Seven. 

This  chapter  opens  with  the  Day  of  Jehovah  and  judgment  on 
sin,  calling  for  repentance  (§  70).  The  nations  shall  gather  into 
Zion,  which  will  become  the  Spiritual  mother  of  them  all  (§  71) 
and  the  throne  of  God  will  be  in  her  (§  74).  Jehovah  will  come  in 
the  Chaldean  oppression,  but  only  the  unbelieving  proud  will  fall, 
while  the  one  who  believes  is  justified  (§  73).  The  new  Ruler,  Son 
of  David,  will  be  called  Jehovah  our  righteousness,  a  sprout  of 
God  (§  75). 

Literature. 


Briggs,  page  220-265;  Orelli,  pages  314-360. 


PROPHECIES  OF  EZEKIEL  AND  DANIEL 


115 


CHAPTER  EIGHT. 

PROPHECIES  OF  EZEKIEL  AND  DANIEL. 

Not-e.  Ezekiel’s  ministry  extended  from  B.  C.  597-570,  before 
and  after  the  fall  of  Jerusalem.  This  explains  also  his  book.  Be¬ 
fore  the  Fall  (Ezek.  1-24)  he  declared  the  certainty  of  the 
Fall,  and  the  cause  of  it  in  the  sins  of  the  people  against  a  just 
and  holy  God.  They  defiled  the  temple,  symbol  of  Israel,  so  that 
God  had  to  leave  the  temple  and  the  people.  The  people  had  to  be 
torn  down  and  rebuilt,  which  is  the  subject  of  33-49.  During  the 
siege  of  the  city  Ezekiel  prophesies  against  the  nations.  Jeremiah 
lived  in  Palestine.  Ezekiel  lived  in  Babylonia. 

A.  Before  the  Siege  of  Jerusalem.  I-XXIV. 

Note.  The  Subject  of  these  chapters  is  the  Fall,  its  certainty, 
and  its  cause  in  the  moral  character  of  Jehovah  and  the  immoral 
character  of  His  people. 

§  79.  Ezek.  11:16-20.  Jehovah  the  Sanctuary  (B.C.  593). 

1.  The  Purged  Remnant,  w.  16-18.  In  Exile  Israel,  the  purged 
remnant,  will  have  Jehovah  as  their  sanctuary  (v.  16).  In  the 
absence  of  the  temple  they  lived  in  Him.  This  sets  aside  the  ritu¬ 
alistic  and  stresses  the  spiritual.  But  this  will  be  only  for  a  little 
while,  until  they  return  to  their  native  land  (v.  17),  for  they  and 
the  land  (Ezek.  36)  will  be  purged  from  the  filth  of  idols  (11: 
18,  19;  John  17:21;  1  John  4:16;  Acts  17:28). 

2.  The  New  Creation,  11:19-20.  “I  will  give  them  one  heart.” 
The  Septuagint  reads  “an  other”  for  “one.”  The  difference  in 
Hebrew  is  only  a  round  corner  for  a  square  one  in  one  letter  of  the 
word.  In  substance  then  there  is  practically  no  difference,  for 
another  heart,  a  new  heart,  is  a  heart  of  love  and  love  is  unity.  It 
is  not  cultus  but  a  new  creation  that  Ezekiel  sees  the  need  in  Israel 
(Gal.  6:15).  Thus  only  can  they  be  Jehovah’s  people  and  He  their 
God  (Jer.  31:31-34;  Ezek.  36:25,  26).  This  is  fulfilled  in  the  dis¬ 
pensation  of  Christ  (John  3:3,  7;  Ps.  51:10). 


116 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


§  80.  Ezek.  17:22-24.  The  Wonderful  Cedar  Sprig  (B.  C.  593). 

1.  The  Setting.  Zedekiah’s  perfidy,  B.C.  588,  is  set  forth  in 
17:1-21  in  a  parable  of  a  vine  (1-10).  The  eagle  is  Babylon  or  its 
impersonation,  Nebuchanezzar.  The  top  of  the  cedar  is  Israel’s 
king,  Jehoiakin  (w.  3,  4).  The  seed  royal  of  the  land  is  Zedekiah 
(w.  5,  6).  The  other  great  eagle  is  Egypt  (v.  7)  and  its  king, 
Hophra.  Zedekiah,  the  vine,  planted  by  Babylon,  leans  toward 
Egypt,  (v.  8),  which  treachery  God  will  punish  (vv.  9,  10).  This 
parable  is  explained  (11-21)  as  a  crime  punishable  by  Jehovah. 

2.  The  Prophecy ,  vv.  22-24).  The  future  of  the  Davidic  ruler. 
The  Lord  also  will  take  a  scion  from  the  same  cedar,  that  is  of  the 
house  of  David,  and  plant  it  in  Zion,  His  Church.  It  is  insignifi¬ 
cant  in  appearance,  but  virile  in  life.  It  will  flourish  and  shelter 
all  under  its  benign  shadow  (c.  23).  All  nations  shall  know  that 
Jehovah  is  a  living  God  who  does  things  (v.  24).  This  is  an  ideal 
that  was  realized  in  Christ  alone. 

§  81.  Ezek.  21:24-27:  (Heb.  29-32).  The  Rightful  King  (B.C.  592). 

1.  The  Invasion  of  Judah ,  Ezek.  20:45 — 21:25.  This  invasion 
is  the  consequence  of  the  treachery  of  Judah  (Ezek.  17),  and  it  is 
the  hand  of  Jehovah  that  punishes  them  for  it  (17:9,  10),  by  fire 
(20:45-49),  by  sword  (21:1-17),  and  by  Nebuchanezzar  (21: 
18-23). 

2.  The  Messiah ,  Ezek.  21:24-27.  In  the  ruin  that  the  hand  of 
Jehovah  brings  upon  the  people  and  kingdom  (20:45 — 21:23), 
priesthood  and  kingship  must  go  down  (v.  26)  and  everything  will 
be  overturned  for  a  time,  until  the  expected  Messiah,  the  rightful 
Ruler  shall  have  “come  whose  right  it  is,  and  I  will  give  it  to 
him”  (v.  27;  Isa.  7:14;  8:8;  9:6,  7;  Gen.  49:10). 

B.  §82.  Prophecies  Against  the  Nations.  (B.  C.  587-572). 

1.  During  the  years  leading  up  to  the  Fall  of  Jerusalem,  the 
people  both  in  Palestine  and  in  captivity  refused  to  believe  that  the 
temple  of  Jehovah  would  or  could  fall  (Jer.  7:1-7).  Ezekiel  and 
Jeremiah  labored  to  disabuse  their  minds.  When  at  last  the  siege 
was  begun  in  earnest,  the  people  succumbed.  The  overpowering 
might  of  the  Chaldean  heathen  nation  was  too  much  for  them. 
They  were  then  in  danger  of  swinging  to  the  opposite  extreme  of 
despair  in  Jehovah  and  His  kingdom.  In  this  time  of  the  siege 
Ezekiel  pronounces  divine  judgments  on  these  seemingly  so  invinc¬ 
ible  nations.  This  is  to  encourage  the  people. 


PROPHECIES  OF  EZEKIEL  AND  DANIEL 


117 


2.  The  Messianic  significance  of  these  prophecies  lies  in  the 
attitude  of  the  nations  to  Jehovah  and  His  people  Israel.  This 
again  lies  in  the  very  idea  of  God  as  found  in  the  Old  Testament. 
He  is  the  Maker  of  heaven  and  earth  and  Lord  of  the  universe. 
Hence  His  Kingdom  must  be  a  universal  kingdom  over  all  peoples 
and  in  all  places.  The  whole  world  is  His,  for  he  made  it  (Ezek. 
29:3,  9;  Ps.  24:1,  2),  and  the  people  that  live  in  it  are  His  for  the 
same  reason  (Ps.  100).  He  has  begun  and  will  complete  this  uni¬ 
versal  dominion. 

3.  Now  the  heathen  kingdoms  go  directly  against  all  this.  They 
do  not  acknowledge  Him  as  God,  but  have  made  themselves  gods  of 
their  own,  and  oppose  Him  in  His  work  as  begun  and  maintained 
in  Israel,  His  people.  Heathen  nations  are  radically  antitheocratic. 
They  rule  without  Him  and  against  His  desires.  Like  Pharaoh, 
they  know  not,  nor  care  to  know,  the  Lord  (Ex.  5:2).  They  are 
self-sufficient  and  deify  themselves,  (Ezek.  28:2;  Isa.  14:14).  Hence 
the  constant  refrain  in  this  section,  “and  they  shall  know  that  I 
am  Jehovah,”  (Ezek.  25:5,  7,  11,  14,  17;  26:6;  28:23;  30:19;  32: 
36).  They  attribute  their  outward,  material,  and  showy  successes 
to  their  own  ability  (Dan.  4:30),  or  to  their  gods  in  opposition  to 
Jehovah  who  apparently  did  or  could  do  so  little  (of  this  kind)  for 
His  own  chosen  people  (Jer.  48:14-17).  It  was  for  this  reason 
that  the  hand  of  Jehovah  was  always  so  heavy  upon  them,  devas¬ 
tating  them,  and  blotting  them  out  of  existence  as  nations.  His 
very  nature  as  a  God  of  Truth  could  not  endure  such  contradiction 
of  sinners  as  the  heathen  world-powers. 

4.  Then,  too,  God’s  kingdom,  which  He  was  building  up  in 
Israel,  demanded  this  treatment  of  the  Gentile  nations.  In  the 
first  place,  these  anti- Jehovistic  organizations,  or  world-powers, 
occupy  the  territory  which  God  designed  for  the  people  and  King¬ 
dom  of  His  Messiah.  It  is  His  earth  and  He  made  it  for  man  to 
occupy  under  His  rule  and  care.  The  kingdom,  land  and  people 
and  rule,  is  His  and  he  will  give  it  to  His  little  flock  (Luke  12:32; 
Jer.  46:27,  28).  The  world  rulers  are  usurpers.  As  soon  as  He 
wants  the  land  He  can  take  it.  (Jer.  49:1).  They  must  finally  be 
evicted,  and  this  is  done  when  “the  cup  of  their  iniquity  is  full” 
and  His  people  are  ready  to  occupy  (Gen.  15:16  and  context). 

5.  Again,  their  material  prosperity  and  domineering  power 
over  each  other  and  especially  over  the  people  of  Jehovah,  is  apt 
to  mislead  even  the  very  children  of  the  Most  High,  for  it  is  not 
easy  to  see  through  their  superficial  and  temporary  glory.  All 


118 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


this  glory  and  power  and  superiority  was  attributed  loudly  and 
persistently  to  their  gods,  to  the  discredit  of  the  God  of  Israel. 
Israel,  alas,  too  often  yielded  to  this  seductive  temptation  and  fell 
away,  as  in  the  days  of  the  Judges  and  all  along  their  history.  Of 
course,  God  often  gave  His  people  over  into  the  hands  of  these 
world-powers  for  disciplinary  reasons  (Isa.  10:5-34;  Jer.  50:17- 
20;  51:20-26),  but  Israel  often  misunderstood  or  misread  this  act 
of  God  (Isa.  59:1-8),  and  saw  in  it  a  shortening  of  the  Lord’s  arm 
or  of  His  memory  (Isa.  59:1,  2;  49:14,  5).  In  this  way  the  cruel 
treatment  by  the  nations  appeared  to  Israel  like  an  overthrow  of 
Jehovah  and  His  kingdom  among  them,  but  the  Lord  was  in  it  all 
and  ruled  according  to  His  purpose  (Jer.  46:27,  28).  There  was 
always  method  in  His  apparent  weakness.  In  this  way  the  nations 
were  a  thorn  in  the  sides  of  the  people  of  God.  They  either  har¬ 
assed  them  or  seduced  them  to  idolatry  with  its  worship  in  the 
flesh  (Num.  25:  Ezek.  28:23-26).  After  the  restoration  of  Israel, 
these  will  be  no  more  a  hindrance  to  Israel  (Ezek.  28:24).  Be¬ 
cause  of  this  situation,  God  manifested  His  superior  might  over 
even  the  mightiest  of  the  nations,  blotted  them  out  and  cleared  the 
ground  for  the  home  of  Israel,  the  redeemed,  so  they  could  live 
their  new  life  unmolested. 

6.  But  Jehovah  is  also  a  God  of  mercy,  and  so  while  this  side 
is  not  to  the  forefront,  there  is  room  and  desire,  even  in  these  pro¬ 
phetic  sections  against  them,  for  the  conversion  of  the  heathen. 
God  is  not  against  them  as  men,  as  human  beings,  but  as  nations, 
powers  organized  against  Him  and  His  people  (Ps.  2),  He  does 
“not  wish  that  any  should  perish,  but  that  all  should  come  to  re¬ 
pentance”  (2  Peter  3:9).  He  is  against  sinful  nations  because 
they  wre  sinful  (Amos  9:8)  as  he  is  against  sinful  individuals,  and 
yet  gave  His  Son  to  save  them.  So  we  find  rays  of  light  and  love  in 
Ezek.  16:55;  29:13-16;  36:36;  37:28,  and  salvation  presupposed 
in  23:48;  28:25.  Of  a  turn  in  affairs  for  the  better  in  individual 
peoples  we  have  the  case  of  Moab  (Jer.  48:47);  of  Egypt,  (Jer. 
46:26) ;  of  Ammon  (49:6) ;  of  Elam  (49:39). 

7.  So  Israel,  having  had  such  experience  nationally  and  indi¬ 
vidually,  having  been  tempted,  seduced  and  saved,  having  seen 
the  overruling  power  and  the  infinite  love  of  God  displayed  in  its 
behalf,  will  know  Him  also  and  be  a  ready  witness  of  His  grace  and 
power  to  the  world  (Ezek.  29:21).  Compare  Note  at  §  63. 


PROPHECIES  OF  EZEKIEL  AND  DANIEL 


119 


C.  After  the  Fall  of  the  City.  Ezek.  XXXIII — XLVIII. 

Note.  The  Subject  of  this  section  is  the  restoration  of  Israel. 
After  the  destruction  for  their  sins  in  1-24  Ezekiel  predicts  the 
cleansing  of  Land  and  People,  the  return  of  Jehovah  and  the  de¬ 
scription  of  His  House,  symbol  of  His  purged  and  now  pure  and 
holy  people.  Time,  B.C.  587-572. 

§  83.  Ezek.  34:11-31.  The  Faithful  Shepherd. 

1.  The  Setting.  34:1-10.  God/s  flock  has  had  bad  shepherds,  be¬ 
came  a  prey  to  the  beasts  (heathen  nations),  and  now  He  will 
judge  and  feed  and  rule  them  Himself. 

2.  The  Good  Shepherd,  34:11-31. 

a)  Jehovah  will  Gather  and  Judge  Them  (vv.  11-22).  He 
will  gather  the  storm-driven  people  (11,  12),  will  restore  them  to 
Palestine  (v.  13)  and  feed  them  (v.  14).  He  will  be  their  Shep¬ 
herd  in  the  true  sense.  He  will  be  Judge  (vv.  17-22),  but  more 
against  the  false  shepherds  than  against  the  people.  Compare 
Psalm  80. 

b)  God’s  Lieutenayit  (vv.  23-24).  They  shall  have  only  One 
Shepherd  because  He  will  be  the  genuine  one.  He  will  not  only  be 
a  descendent  of  David  (2  Sam.  7),  but  one  who  will  fully  carry  out 
the  Davidic  ideal,  fulfill  the  task  that  David  was  to  do,  but  could 
not,  in  that  he  was  purely  human,  for  God  and  David  will  be  in 
full  accord.  “My  Servant”  is  one  who  is  instrumental  in  God’s 
hands  for  the  accomplishment  of  all  of  His  work.  Compare  Isa. 
40-66  and  Jesus  as  Servant  in  Acts  4:27. 

c)  God’s  Covenant  with  His  Flock,  (w.  25-31).  This  will  be 
a  covenant  of  peace  (v.  25)  with  nature  (vv.  25-27),  free  from 
oppression  (v.  28)  and  calamities  (v.  29)  for  God  will  be  with  them 
and  they  shall  know,  experience,  His  presence.  He  will  be  their 
God  as  they  will  be  His  people  (v.  30). 

3.  The  Davidic  King  (vv.  23,  24).  He  is  the  Davidic  Ruler  of 
Isa.  11:4,  5;  Ezek.  21:27.  He  is  “My  Servant,”  because  of  His 
doing,  like  David,  God’s  will  fully  (1  Kings  14.8).  He  will  be  king 
alone  (v.  23a).  Ezek.  21:27  thinks  of  the  Isaianic  Messiah. 

§  84.  Ezek.  36:20-35.  The  Great  Purification,  Cp.  11:19,  20. 

1.  The  Setting.  In  Ezek.  35  and  36  the  prophet  sets  forth  the 
future  of  the  land  of  Israel  (a)  Edom’s  presumption  is  punished 


120 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


(Ezek.  35),  likely  again  as  symbol  of  all  opponents  to  Jehovah,  and 
the  mountains  of  Israel  are  repeopled  (36:1-15).  God’s  reasons 
for  restoring  Israel  are  given  in  36:16-38.  (a)  Regard  for  His 

holy  name  (v.  21),  in  spite  of  Israel’s  sins  (16-21).  (b)  By  grace, 

that  is  for  His  own  sake  (v.  22)  will  He  renew  them  (vv.  22,  23), 
(c)  and  bless  them  (vv.  32-35). 

2.  Purging,  36:16-21.  This  is  negative,  being  by  suffering,  by 
“a  spirit  of  burning,”  mistaken  by  the  Gentiles  for  a  rejection  of 
Israel  by  their  God  (v.  20).  But  it  was  only  God’s  holiness  and 
justice  that  demanded  their  punishment  (vv.  20,  21). 

3.  God’s  Saving  Holiness,  36:22-32.  This  is  positive  work, 

(a)  As  God  was  profaned  before  the  nations  through  Israel’s  sins, 
so  will  He  be  glorified  before  them  by  His  positive  grace,  for  it  is 
because  of  His  own  name  that  He  will  save  them.  He  will  sancti¬ 
fy  Israel  before  the  eyes  of  the  Gentiles  (vv.  22,  23).  (b)  The 

sanctification  (w.  25-27)  consists  of  cleansing  from  sin  and  apos- 
tacy  the  cause  of  their  sins  (v.  25),  and  of  the  outpouring  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  give  them  new  life  (26,  27),  which  brings  forth  obe¬ 
dience  and  a  holy  conduct,  (c)  They  will  be  planted  and  will 
flourish  (36:24,  28-32)  as  the  result  of  their  holy  life. 

Only  by  an  inner  transformation  will  Israel  reach  its  destined 
end  (v.  28b).  The  mere  bringing  of  them  back  to  their  land  will 
not  suffice  for  this  (v.  24).  The  desolate  land  (36:1-15)  will,  by 
means  of  personal  spiritual  holiness,  be  made  fruitful,  and  this 
fruitfulness  will  lead  Israel  to  see  its  own  real  sinfulness  (v.  31, 
“Then  shall  they  remember  etc”).  So  God’s  goodness  will  lead  to 
a  truer  and  deeper  repentance  (Rom.  2:4)  than  His  judgments 
(36:16-21)  could  do  (Ezek.  16:60-63). 

Cleansing  of  sin  and  renewal  by  the  Holy  Spirit  is  every  where 
in  the  New  Testament. 

§  85.  Ezek.  37 :7-14.  The  Great  Resurrection. 

1.  The  Setting.  In  chapters  35  and  36  the  emphasis  lay  on  the 
land.  In  37  it  lies  on  the  people  and  their  preparation  for  occu¬ 
pying  that  renovated  land  (the  religion  of  Jehovah?).  The  place 
where  the  bones  are  is  Babylonia,  a  battle  field.  It  looks  like  a 
resurrection  of  individuals,  many  corpses  coming  to  life,  but  Eze¬ 
kiel’s  explanation  makes  the  national  interpretation  the  more  like¬ 
ly.  Both  may  be  included,  the  national  and  by  implication  also 
the  individual  (cp.  Isa.  26:19;  Hos.  6:2;  13:14).  The  field  is  de- 


PROPHECIES  OF  EZEKIEL  AND  DANIEL 


121 


scribed  in  vv.  1-6;  and  the  resurrection  in  vv.  7-10,  while  the  ap¬ 
plication  is  made  in  w.  11-14. 

2.  The  Messianic  Element.  There  is  a  close  connection  between 
Israel’s  condition  and  its  estrangement  from  God,  that  is  its  sin  of 
ungodliness.  Hence  this  passage  is  an  expansion  of  36:26,  a  revi¬ 
val  through  the  Spirit  of  God  (37:14a).  Stress  is  laid  on  their 
experimental  knowledge  of  God,  because  of  the  presence  of  the 
Spirit  and  His  fruits  (vv.  13,  14b),  that  is,  renewing  from  the 
lowest  depths  of  sin  (37:11;  Eph.  2:5,  6;  John  17:3).  This  can¬ 
not  mean  the  bringing  back  the  Israelites  to  their  home  land  but 
a  new  creation,  a  zoopoiein,  a  making  spiritually  alive  as  in  John 
5:21-24,  a  miracle  possible  only  by  water  and  the  Spirit  (John  3: 
5-7). 

§  86.  Ezek.  37:  21-28.  The  Great  Reunion. 

1.  The  United  Israel ,  37:15-23.  The  symbolic  act  (uniting 
two  sticks  into  one,  w.  15-17)  is  explained  as  the  reunion  of  the 
two  divisions  of  Israel  (vv.  18-20)  brought  about  by  God’s  gather¬ 
ing  them  (v.  21)  under  one  king  (v.  22)  and  keeping  them  clean 
from  idolatry,  that  is  there  shall  be  One  God  and  so  one  King 
(v.  23). 

2.  The  Future  King  (vv.  24,  25)  and  Sanctum ry  (vv.  26-28). 
These  verses  (24-28)  are  a  compact  summary  of  the  condition  and 
situation  of  the  future  Church,  or  Kingdom.  In  the  light  of  John 
4:21-24,  the  land  of  Palestine  may  here  stand  for  the  outward  sym¬ 
bol  of  the  kingdom,  as  the  temple  does  for  the  congregation. 

The  points  to  be  noted  are:  (a)  “My  servant  David  king  over 
them”  (v.  24,  25c;  compare  Isa.  11:1);  (b)  one  Shepherd;  (c) 

conformity  to  the  Law  (v.  24b)  ;  (d)  dwelling  in  the  land  for  ever, 
(v.  25;  cp.  28:25,  26);  (e)  the  covenant  of  peace  (v.  25a;  34: 
25);  (f)  an  everlasting  covenant  (v.  26b;  16:60;  Isa.  55:3);  (g) 
the  great  increase  of  the  people  (v.  26b;  36:10,  11,  37;  Jer.  30:19 
and  the  Patriarchal  prophecies)  ;  (h)  He  their  God,  they  His  peo¬ 
ple  (v.  23,  27b)  ;  (i)  the  sanctuary  permanently  in  their  midst  (v. 
26c,  27a;  20:40;  43:7),  developed  in  Ezek.  40-48;  (j)  the  conver¬ 
sion  of  the  nations  (v.  28)  and  (k)  a  sanctified  Israel  as  the 
preacher  of  salvation  (v.  28;  20:12). 

§  87.  Ezek.  38  and  39.  Judgment  on  Gog  and  Magog. 

1.  The  Outline  of  Ezek.  38  and  39.  A)  The  Invasion,  Ezek. 
38.  (a)  The  Allies  of  Gog  (vv.  1-7)  ;  (b)  his  nefarious  plans  (vv. 


122 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


8-13)  ;  (c)  the  invasion  (vv.  14-17)  ;  (d)  nature  against  him  (w. 
18-23).  B)  God’s  Triumph  over  Gog ,  Ezek.  39.  (a)  God  leads 

Gog  to  destruction  (w.  1-7)  ;  (b)  his  weapons  are  for  fuel  (w. 
8-10)  ;  (c)  seven  months’  of  burying  (vv.  11-13)  ;  (d)  search  for 
the  dead  (vv.  14-16)  ;  (e)  banquet  for  the  birds  (vv.  17-20)  ;  (f) 
the  heathen  learn  the  meaning  of  Israel’s  Captivity  (vv.  21-24)  ; 
and  (g)  Israel  brought  home  (vv.  25-29). 

2.  Messianic  Significance.  Before  developing  the  idea  of  God’s 
sanctuary  in  their  midst  (37:27)  in  the  detailed  description  of 
Ezek.  40-48,  the  prophet  disposes  of  the  foe  in  Ezek.  38  and  39. 
The  foe  comes  in  extraneously,  not  in  the  plan  of  God.  Redemp- 
was  completed  in  the  settling  of  the  sanctuary  among  them  in  37: 
27.  This  battle  of  Gog  is  a  type,  or  phophetic  forecast,  of  the  last 
attack  of  the  forces  of  evil  on  the  Church  or  people  of  God  and  His 
Anointed.  The  center  of  the  attack  here  is  God. 

3.  The  Foe.  The  Scythian  invasion  may  have  been  the  sub¬ 
stratum  or  material  background  of  this  picture,  or  it  may  be  the 
fall  of  Babylon  under  the  Medes,  which  is  connected  with  the 
return  of  Israel  from  Captivity.  But  neither  of  these  historic 
events  closes  the  prophetic  vista.  The  prophet  sees  a  united 
heathendom  attacking  Jerusalem,  that  is,  the  Kingdom  of  God,  and 
with  it  he  sees  coming  the  universal  and  final  judgment  of  God. 
In  38:17  Ezekiel  has  in  mind  Joel  3:9-14,  and  in  39:8  he  has  in 
mind  Micah  4:11-13.  Inasmuch  as  Israel  is  in  Jerusalem  when 
the  attack  is  made  (38:14-17)  they  must  have  returned  thither  be¬ 
fore  the  attack.  The  foe  comes  from  the  North  (38:15),  whence 
Israel’s  foes  usually  came,  but  nations  from  all  regions  are  swept 
along  with  the  foe  as  he  moves  along  (38:1-6).  In  Rev.  20:7-10, 
the  last  attack  of  heathendom  comes  after  a  period  of  rest  (1,000 
years)  as  here  in  38:14. 

U.  The  Motive  of  the  Attack.  This  was  in  part  God-wrought. 
God  gathered  them  (38:4-7)  and  led  them  up  against  the  Land 
(39:2)  and  the  attack  glorified  Him  (38:16,  23;  39:6,  21,  23).  But 
the  motive  was  also  greed  of  booty  (38:10-13).  They  went  against 
the  Holy  Land  for  gain,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  it  was  God’s  land, 
and  they  were  thus  at  least  half  conscious  of  attacking  God.  It 
is  significant  that  Mammon  was  the  core  of  their  opposition  to 
God.  “Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  Mammon.”  Hence  in  Rev.  20: 
7-10  the  real  motive  is  unmasked  and  Satan  the  adversary  of  God, 
leads  the  attack  out  of  pure  malice. 

Every  thing  serves  to  glorify  Jehovah  (38:16;  39:7,  8,  21,  28). 


PROPHECIES  OF  EZEKIEL  AND  DANIEL 


123 


§  88.  D.  Purged  Israel’s  New  Home,  XL — XLVIII. 

This  section  expands  37:27.  After  Israel  had  been  punished 
for  its  sins  and  cleansed  from  them  (36:25),  and  renewed  by  the 
indwelling  of  the  divine  Spirit  (36:26),  and  its  foes  made  harm¬ 
less  (28:24;  38  and  39),  God  will  again  take  up  His  abode  in  their 
midst,  and  Israel  will  realize  even  to  the  last  detail  every  thing 
that  God  had  foreshadowed  in  the  Law  of  Moses.  This  he  tells 
them  in  the  familiar  form  and  terms  of  their  ritual.  “The  whole 
is  an  ideal  picture  which  was  never  materially  realized,  but  which 
strikingly  embodies  the  conception  of  the  abiding  presence  of  God 
with  His  people,  and  of  their  perfect  fellowship  with  Him”  (Dum- 
melow) ,  together  with  all  the  blessings  flowing  from  such  spiritual 
union  with  their  God.  “It  is  a  prophecy  of  the  true  consumma¬ 
tion  of  the  Kingdom  of  God,”  a  realization  of  what  the  Mosaic 
cultus  really  meant. 

Out  of  the  spiritual  fellowship  with  God  flows  life-giving 
power  and  influence  into  all  the  world,  which  brings  blessings 
material  and  spiritual,  and  healing  both  for  man  and  nature  (Ezek. 
47).  This  is  in  line  with  what  Jesus  said:  “He  that  believeth  on 
me,  as  the  scripture  hath  said,  from  within  him  shall  flow  rivers 
of  living  water.  But  this  he  spake  of  the  Spirit  which  they  that 
believed  on  him  were  to  receive”  (John  7:38,  38).  Believing  is  a 
real  spiritual  oneness  with  Jesus,  as  is  here  proclaimed  for  Israel. 
In  chapters  8-11  it  is  said  that  Jehovah  forsook  the  temple  (that 
is  Israel)  because  it  was  poluted  with  idolatry.  In  40-48  He  is 
back  again  and  abides  with  them  as  fountain  of  life  and  blessing 
(43:1-9). 

The  division  of  the  land  among  the  tribes  has  Jehovah  and  His 
sanctuary  as  center,  indicating  that  all  life  is  centered  in  Jehovah 
and  in  fellowship  with  Him.  The  Church  is,  then,  the  hearth  of 
the  whole  of  human  life,  permeating  and  sustaining  and  sanctify¬ 
ing  all.  “In  that  day  shall  there  be  on  the  bells  of  the  horses 
HOLY  UNTO  JEHOVAH;  and  the  pots  in  Jehovah’s  house  shall 
be  like  the  bowls  before  the  altar,”  Zech.  14:20. 

E.  The  Book  of  Daniel. 

Note.  Daniel  was  a  contemporary  of  Ezekiel  and  lived  in  the 
same  land  with  him.  Both,  each  in  his  own  way,  ministered  to 
their  brethren  in  Exile.  For  this  reason  it  seems  well  to  treat  of 
his  prophecies  in  the  same  chapter  with  Ezekiel.  Both  treat  of 
the  Kingdom  in  the  distant  future,  basing  this  vision  on  events  of 


124 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


their  own  day  and  experience.  In  fact  it  seems  that  Daniel’s  vision 
lies  this  side  of  that  of  Ezekiel.  Daniel  tided  Israel  over  the  great 
chasm  of  the  Captivity,  sustaining  their  faith  in  those  trying  times 
by  personal  loyalty  to  the  God  of  Zion  and  by  miracles  granted  him 
for  this  very  purpose.  It  is  impossible  for  us  to  realize  the  tre¬ 
mendous  significance  of  that  Captivity,  its  terribleness  and  its  ful¬ 
ness  of  individual  and  national  consequences.  Surely  miracles, 
even  apocalyptic  insight  into  the  plans  of  God  for  the  future  of  his 
much  afflicted  and  tempted  people,  are  here  in  order. 

§  89.  Dan.  2  and  7.  The  Kingdom  of  the  Son  of  Man. 

Note.  There  is  no  attempt  at,  nor  claim  for,  presenting  a  new 
view  here,  or  one  that  will  in  any  sense  meet  with  general  or  even 
wide  acceptance.  This  is  only  a  view.  Any  one  who  has  a  better 
one  may  be  congratulated. 

1.  The  Four  Kingdoms.  Dan.  2:31-45;  7:1-8.  These  king¬ 

doms  are,  (a)  The  Chaldean,  or  Nebuchadnezzar,  (2:32,  37;  7:4)  ; 
(b)  the  Medo-Persian,  the  three  ribs  being,  Egypt,  Babylon,  Lydia 
(2:39a;  7:5)  ;  (c)  Greee,  the  four  heads  being  the  four  generals 
of  world-wide  power  (2:39b;  7:6);  (d)  the  Roman,  powerful 

(v.  4),  mixed  with  weakness  (w.  41-43),  developed  in  successive 
forms.  “Diverse  from  all  the  kingdoms,”  means  that  it  is  Western 
while  the  others  were  Eastern  (7:7,  23). 

2.  Antichrist ,  7:20-25.  The  last  kingdom  will  produce  ten 
kings,  contemporary  or  successive  is  disputed,  (v.  24),  the  last 
three,  or  three  of  them,  the  little  horn  will  overthrow  (24c)  and 
will  war  against  the  saints  of  God  (v.  25)  for  a  fixed  time. 

Who  is  this  ruler  indicated  by  the  little  hom?  He  may  have 
been  Antiochus  in  the  first  instance  and  identical  with  the  king  of 
fierce  countenance  in  8:23-25,  but  also  the  type  of  a  succession  of 
self-deifying  rulers  up  to  and  including  the  final  Antichrist.  In 
that  case  he  is  the  same  as  the  prince  of  Dan.  9:26,  27,  the  king 
of  Dan.  11:36-45,  the  abomination  of  Dan.  12:11  and  11:31,  the 
man  of  sin  in  2  Thess.  2:4-8  and  the  beast  of  Rev.  13:4-10. 

The  tribulations  of  7:25,  “wear  out  the  saints”  are  forerunners 
of  the  end,  the  dark  before  dawn,  in  all  of  God’s  dealings.  Here 
perhaps  the  Antiochian  persecution  is  meant,  which  becomes  typi¬ 
cal  of  successive  later  persecutions  (Dan.  9:27;  Matt.  24:15;  Rev. 
13:14,  15;  2  Thess.  2:3,  8).  The  discussion  of  the  who  and  the 
what  belongs  to  the  commentaries.  Here  we  consider  the  general 


PROPHECIES  OF  EZEKIEL  AND  DANIEL 


125 


truth,  that  the  consummation  under  the  Messiah  will  be  preceded 
by  the  manifestation  of  the  powers  of  evil  heading  in  the  Anti¬ 
christ. 

3.  The  Messiah ,  2:34,  35,  44,  45;  7:9-14.  In  contrast  with  the 
beasts  of  the  other  kingdoms,  He  is  a  mom  (Dan.  7:13).  As  against 
the  beasts  there  is  set  up  a  judgment  throne  for  their  judging  and 
condemnation  (7:12),  and  the  horn-beast  will  be  slain  (7:11). 
This  judgment  is  pronounced  in  a  solemn  manner  by  the  Ancient 
of  Days  (7:9,  10).  The  Son  of  Man  gets  dominion  for  himself  and 
for  the  saints  with  Him,  universal  and  everlasting  (7:14,  27).  In 
2:24-35  the  judgment  and  the  giving  of  the  kingdom  to  the  Prince 
and  the  people  with  Him  is  expressed  in  the  figure  of  a  stone  cut 
from  the  mountain.  The  person  here  is  an  individual,  a  Prince 
(Isa.  7:14;  9:6;  Ezek.  17:22-24;  John  3:  18;  Ps.  45:5).  The 
outlook  goes  beyond  the  New  Testament. 

§  90.  Dan.  9:24-27;  12:1-3,  10-13.  The  Last  Times. 

1.  The  Seventy  Weeks,  9:24-27.  Dr.  Briggs  makes  two  peri¬ 
ods,  (a)  the  one,  seven  plus  sixty- two  week-years,  from  Cyrus  to 
Christ’s  advent,  and  (b)  the  last  week  which  is  the  time  of  His 
life  on  earth,  in  the  middle  of  which  He  was  cut  off. 

Anderson  (Daniel  in  the  Critics  Den)  takes  the  69  weeks  as 
equal  to  483  years  of  360  days  each,  dating  from  the  decree  of 
Artaxerxes  to  rebuild  the  city  (Neh.  1:2,  3;  2:5),  that  is  from 
March  14th,  445  to  April  6,  A.D.  32,  the  rejection  of  Jesus  on  Palm 
Sunday.  The  seventh  week  lies  beyond  even  the  present  time. 

Dr.  Briggs  thinks  that  these  numbers  are  entirely  symbolical 
.  .  .  but  cannot  be  reduced  to  measure  historic  time.  They  show 
that  the  times  of  the  world-powers  have  been  strictly  limited  by 
God,  and  that  the  last  afflictions  will  be  very  brief,  and  that  these 
will  be  speedily  followed  by  the  divine  advent,  when  all  promises 
will  be  realized  in  the  full,”  Mess.  Proph.  426. 

2.  End  Trouble  and  the  Resivrrection,  12:1-3.  “There  shall  be 
a  time  of  trouble  such  as  never  was  since  there  was  a  nation“  (v. 
1).  Israel,  the  children  of  God,  will  be  watched  over  by  Michael, 
all  shall  be  delivered,  and  even  the  dead  shall  be  raised  (a  personal 
resurrection),  and  glorified. 

3.  The  Abomination,  12:10-12.  The  continual  burnt-offering 
will  be  taken  away  by  a  cruel  lord,  who  brings  in  the  abomination. 
This  may  be  explained  as  referring  to  Antiochus,  but  seems  rather 
to  refer  to  the  last  times. 


126 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


“This  prophecy  was  also  taken  up  again  by  Christ  and  His 
apostles,  and  its  fulfilment  is  still  to  come,  like  that  which  is  said 
in  this  book  of  the  establishment  of  a  world-ruling  Kingdom  of 
God.  Still  the  world’s  history  goes  on  in  its  course;  still  the 
Colossus  stands;  still  the  beasts  ascend  from  the  sea  of  nations. 
Still  also  the  great  tribulation  of  the  Church  is  to  come,  for  as 
under  the  Old  Covenant  they  embodied  themselves  at  last  in  one 
all-powerful  ruler,  so  according  to  apostolic  prophecy,  resistance 
to  Christ  culminates  in  an  Antichrist  who  tries  to  strike  a  deadly 
blow  at  the  Kingdom  of  the  Lord.  But  when  the  need  is  greatest 
and  the  cause  of  the  saints  apparently  lost,  then  will  the  Exalted 
One  appear  and  gather  His  Church  from  among  the  living  and  the 
dead.  To  the  Church,  the  Kingdom  will  be  given  at  the  final  judg¬ 
ment,”  Orelli,  page  466. 

Summary  of  Chapter  Eight. 

1.  The  Sanctuary.  The  land  and  city  are  the  place  where  God 
dwells,  but  the  people  and  the  individual  in  the  truer  sense,  are 
the  temple  of  the  living  God  (1  Cor.  3:16;  6:19).  But  God  aslo  is 
the  sanctuary  of  His  own  (Ezek.  11:16-21;  John  17:21,  22).  The 
sanctuary  in  the  wide  and  narrow  sense  shall  be  cleansed  and  re¬ 
newed  (§  79;  86;  Ezek.  35;  36).  The  nations  shall  be  driven  out 
of  the  earth,  His  larger  Sanctuary  (§  82,  §  87)  and  the  new  tem¬ 
ple  and  land  is  described  (§  88). 

2.  The  People  of  Israel  shall  be  purged  (§  84),  revived  (§  85) 
and  reunited  (§  86). 

3.  The  Ruler  of  the  house  of  David  will  be  planted  by  God  and 
glorious  (§§  80;  81;  83),  and  given  the  kingdom  (§  89). 

Literature. 

Briggs,  pages  266-290;  410-427.  Orelli,  pages  361-376.  De- 
litsch  §§  39  and  40. 


THE  SUFFERER  AND  SERVANT 


127 


CHAPTER  NINE. 

THE  SUFFERER  AND  SERVANT. 

Note.  The  idea  of  the  Servant  includes  in  many  of  its  phases 
the  idea  of  the  Sufferer.  Service  is  largely  self-sacrifice.  It  is 
always  doing  the  will  of  an  other  “Not  my  will  but  thine  be  done.” 
These  two,  the  Sufferer  and  the  Servant,  are  here  thrown  together 
because  in  substance  they  belong  together,  and  no  account  is  in 
this  chapter  taken  of  the  time  of  composition  of  the  prophecies. 
The  Sufferer  is  portrayed  largely  in  the  Psalms.  He  is  also  the 
climax  in  Isa.  40-66. 

A.  The  Great  Sufferer  in  the  Psalms. 

§  91.  Psalm  22.  Forsaken  yet  Exalted  by  God. 

1.  His  Agony  and  Cry  to  God.  22:1-21.  (a)  His  agony  (vv. 

1-10)  is  caused  by  God’s  forsaking  him.  The  holy  God  of  Israel 
(v.  3)  in  whom  the  fathers  trusted  (w.  4,  5),  and  who  watched 
over  the  Sufferer’s  childhood  (8-10),  how  can  He  forsake  him  now 
(w.  1,  2) !  (b)  His  cry  to  God  (vv.  11-18)  is  pressed  out  of  him 

by  the  strange  act  of  God  in  leaving  him  to  the  fury  of  violent  men 
until  he  is  almost  ruined,  (c)  He  prays  for  help  (vv.  19-21)  and 
trusts  that  God  will  hear  him.  In  his  dark  distress  he  hopes  and 
is  assured  that  help  will  come  from  God. 

2.  His  Song  of  Praise ,  22:22-31.  In  this  song  there  is 

a)  Thanksgiving  for  Answered  Prayer  (22-26).  There  is  a 
turn  from  dark  to  day  between  vv.  21  and  22.  In  this  22nd  verse 
the  speaker  praises  God  and  commends  His  mercy  to  his  co-religion¬ 
ists  (vv.  23,  24).  He  himself  will  be  more  faithful  than  ever  (v. 
25),  because  the  meek  will  ever  find  God  true  (v.  26). 

b)  Joy  in  the  Kingdom  of  God  (27-31).  God  being  such  as 
the  speaker’s  experience  proved  Him  to  be  (w.  1-18)  and  as  he 
has  just  said  He  was  (vv.  22-26),  His  rule  must  extend  to  the  ends 
of  the  earth  (v.  27),  because  it  is  God  who  rules  (v.  28).  The 
wicked  must  cease  (v.  29)  but  God’s  seed,  His  children  shall  tell  of 
His  reign  to  generations  yet  unborn  (vv.  30,  31). 


128 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


3.  Messianic  Elements.  The  man  in  this  psalm  suffers  because 
of  his  close  fellowship  with  Jehovah  (v.  8).  Aristides  was  ostra¬ 
cised  because  his  fellowmen  were  tired  of  hearing  him  called  the 
just.  It  is  an  ideal  picture  but  realized  in  Christ.  Verse  6  could 
not  be  said  of  David.  The  scorn  and  mockery  of  22:7  remind  of 
Mark  15:29.  The  “trust  on  God”  in  Matt.  27:43  fulfills  Ps.  22: 
8-10.  The  parting  of  the  garments  is  in  both,  Ps.  22:18  and  Matt. 
27:35,  and  the  cry  of  Jesus  on  the  cross,  “My  God,  my  God,”  is 
Ps.  22:1. 

This  Sufferer  is  not  an  ordinary  human  being.  His  relation  to 
God  is  so  unusual  as  to  be  the  cause  of  persecution  (v.  8).  It  is 
not  the  little  Church  within  the  Church,  for  the  Sufferer  appeals  to 
the  congregation,  qahal,  in  vv.  22,  23,  and  the  whole  picture  is  too 
individualistic  in  22:9-11  for  this  reference.  The  Sufferer  here  is 
allied  to  the  Servant  of  Jehovah  in  Isa  40-66,  especially  Isa.  53. 
Compare  22:6,  “a  worm,”  “a  reproach  of  men”  “despised”  with 
Isa.  41:14,  “worm  Jacob”  where  the  nation  is  primarily  meant  and 
Isa.  53:  3-6  where  the  individual  is  referred  to.  In  Isa.  53  the 
conversion  of  sinners  results  from  the  suffering  of  the  Servant  of 
Jehovah,  while  in  Ps.  22  the  source  of  salvation  is  the  preservation 
of  the  Sufferer  (22:24).  Perhaps  looking  beyond  the  cross,  which 
is  the  affliction,  the  psalm  describes  the  outcome  of  it.  Ps.  22:7-18 
has  been  called  the  program  of  the  crucifixion.  We  have  in  this 
psalm  the  experience  of  a  righteous  man,  of  whom  Jesus  is  the 
highest  example,  in  a  sinful  world. 

§  92.  Psalm  69  and  40.  Suffering  for  Righteousness’  Sake. 

Note.  Ps.  40:1-12  is  here  used.  Ps.  70:1-5  repeats  4:13-17. 

1.  God's  Martyr,  Ps.  69.  We  have  here  (a)  his  suffering  (w. 
1-4)  which  is  undeserved  and  drives  him  to  call  on  his  God,  (b) 
The  cause  of  his  suffering  (vv.  5-12)  is  not  his  sins,  of  which,  how¬ 
ever  he  is  not  free  (v.  5;  40:12),  but  his  zeal  for  Jehovah  (vv.  6-11; 
40:6-8).  It  is  this  that  brings  reproach  (vv.  7,  8,  11,  12)  and 
loneliness  (v.  8).  This  leads  to  (c)  A  firm  trust  in  God  (w.  13- 
18).  In  strong  contrast  to  the  humiliation  of  v.  12  he  turns  to 
God  in  v.  13.  Wa’  anni,  and  I,  “and  as  for  me,”  at  the  beginning 
of  this  13th  verse  is  very  emphatic  and  expresses  contrast.  The 
“acceptable  time”  is  the  time  of  his  distress.  The  whole  of  13-18 
is  a  strong  plea  for  deliverance  (w.  13-15),  yea  for  response  from 
God  (vv.  16-18).  He  needs  to  be  sure  of  God.  God  did  answer 
him  (Ps.  40:1,  2),  or  if  not  this  man,  the  fact  remains  that  God 


THE  SUFFERER  AND  SERVANT 


129 


does  hear  and  answer  prayer  (Isa.  58:9;  Ps.  91:15).  (d)  He 

■prays  for  the  destruction  of  his  enemies  (vv.  22,  25,  27,  28),  for 
he  is  heartbroken  and  bitterly  abused  because  of  the  maliciousness 
of  their  attacks  on  him  (vv.  19-21,  26),  and  he  is  (e)  Saved  and 
exalted  (vv.  29-36)  of  which  he  is  already  so  sure  that  he  praises 
God  for  it  (vv.  29-31),  and  sees  the  meek  taking  heart,  because  of 
it  (vv.  32,  33)  and  Zion  will  be  saved  (34-36). 

2.  Thanksgiving  for  Help  Received,  Ps.  40:1-12.  This  help  is 
from  (a)  Jehovah  the  Wonder-working  God  (vv.  1-5),  therefore 
the  Psalmist  will  bring  (b)  Praise  and  Obedience  (w.  6-12).  Be¬ 
cause  God  is  so  great  and  good  He  is  deserving  not  only  of  material 
sacrifice  (v.  6)  but  of  heart  obedience  (vv.  7,  8)  and  praise  (vv. 
3,  5b,  9,  10).  He  pleads  for  mercy  continued  (vv.  11,  12). 

3.  The  Messianic  Value.  These  psalms  are  examples  of  suf¬ 
fering  for  righteousness’  sake  in  a  good  but  not  a  sinless  man  (69: 
5;  40:12).  Because  Christ  was  altogether  sinless  (John  8:46)  He 
experienced  what  is  here  portrayed,  in  the  fullest  measure.  The 
gall  and  vinegar  of  Ps.  69:21  is  in  Matt.  27:34;  John  19:28-30. 
Acts  1:20  sees  in  the  fate  of  Judas,  the  enemy  of  Jesus,  a  fulfill¬ 
ment  of  Ps.  69:25. 

Jesus  himself  did  not  pray  for  a  curse  on  His  enemies  as  is 
done  in  the  psalm,  but  for  their  forgiveness  and  made  excuses  for 
their  cruelty  (Luke  23:34).  He  let  God  requite  men’s  evils  against 
Him  (1  Peter  2:23)  while  He  prayed  for  them. 

The  emptiness  of  animal  sacrifices  is  here  announced  (Ps.  40: 
6,  7)  and  their  real  soul  and  significance  is  shown  to  be  in  obedience 
(Ps.  40:7;  1  Sam.  15:22b;  Jer.  7:22,  23;  Hos.  6:6;  Mic.  6:6-8; 
Mark  12:33)  which  was  in  the  sacrifice  of  Christ  an  obedience  unto 
death  (Heb.  10:4-9;  6:7-10;  Phil.  2:8).  Ps.  69.9,  “the  zeal  of  thy 
house  etc.”  is  applied  to  Jesus  in  John  2:17;  69:4a,  “hate  me  with¬ 
out  a  cause”  is  quoted  of  Him  in  John  15:25;  Ps.  69:22,  23,  “their 
table  a  snare  etc.”  is  quoted  against  the  Jews  in  Rom  .11 :9,  10.  It 
may  be  said  that  the  prayer  for  the  destruction  of  the  enemy  was 
made  for,  and  not  by  this  Sufferer. 

B.  The  Servant  of  Jehovah  in  Isaiah  40-66. 

§  93.  The  Servant  Idea. 

A  servant  is  a  personal  means  between  a  man  and  his  work. 
God  wants  the  world  of  human  beings  in  the  form  of  a  kingdom. 

5 


130 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


Jesus  is  the  means,  the  Servant,  to  bring  this  about.  (John  1:2). 
Israel  was  the  first  group  where  this  ideal  was,  or  was  to  be,  real¬ 
ized.  Jesus  the  Servant  was  the  center  and  source  of  Israel.  In 
Him  the  God-man  idea  was  realized  in  Israel,  who  were  then  to  go 
forth  and  proclaim  in  the  world  what  had  been  realized  by  God  in 
them  through  His  Servant  (Isa.  43:8-10).  This  seems  to  be  the 
explanation  of  the  Servant  idea  in  Isa.  40-66,  namely  Messiah  is 
the  Center,  the  Head,  and  the  Israelites  are  the  members,  the  body. 
He  is  perfect,  they  are  in  the  making,  often  blind  and  deaf,  etc. 
(Isa.  43:8). 

The  Servant  is  the  instrument  for  the  inward  deliverance  as 
Cyrus  is  for  the  outward  (Isa.  44:26;  45:13).  Compare  PauPs 
claim  for  himself  of  being  a  doulos  Jesu  Christou  (Rom.  1:1).  The 
Christ  is  the  Servant  in  the  narrower  central  sense.  The  people 
of  Israel  in  the  broader  sense.  The  Church  takes  the  place  of  old 
Israel  as  Servant  to  bring  in  the  kingdom,  salvation  from  sin  and 
nurture  in  the  Spiritual  Life.  In  addressing  the  Gentile  Chris¬ 
tians  of  Galatia  Paul  says,  “They  that  are  of  faith,  the  same  are 
sons  of  Abraham”  (Gal.  3:7)  and  “If  ye  are  Christ’s,  then  are  ye 
Abraham’s  seed,  heirs  according  to  the  promise”  (Gal.  3:29).  To 
the  Ephesians  he  says,  “We  are  the  circumcision,  who  worship  by 
the  Spirit  of  God,  and  have  no  confidence  in  the  flesh  (3:3).  The 
instrument  must  be  Spmi-endowed,  the  choice  of  God,  and  world¬ 
wide  in  effect  (Isa.  42:1-7).  The  Servant’s  weapon  is  the  preached 
word  (Isa.  42:18-22;  42:7;  49:9;  Eph.  6:17). 

§  94.  Isa.  41:8-20;  42:1-13.  The  Servant  in  Whom  Jehovah  is  Well- 
pleased. 

1.  Israel  as  a  Whole ,  the  Servant,  Isa.  41:8-20.  (a)  He  is 

God’s  servant  from  of  old,  from  afar,  from  Ur  of  the  Chaldees 
(vv.  8-10;  Gen.  12:1-2).  (b)  He  will  not  cast  him  off  but  destroy 

his  enemies  (w.  11,  12).  (c)  God  himself  will  redeem  him  (vv. 

13,  14),  and  Israel  (d)  shall  destroy  his  foes  (w.  15,  16;  Micah 
4:13).  (e)  They  seek  the  grace  and  blessing  of  Jehovah  (v.  17) 

and  (f)  God  will  open  fountains  of  richest  blessings  for  them  (vv. 
18-20).  In  the  future,  the  spiritual  and  the  physical  co-operate 
(Isa.  29:17;  32:15;  30:25;  35:7;  43:20;  55:12,  13). 

2.  The  Servant,  an  Individual,  42:1-13.  (a)  In  character  he 

will  be  beloved  and  spirit-filled  (v.  1),  mild  (v.  3),  courageous  (v. 
4),  and  God-sustained  (v.  6).  (b)  In  manner  he  will  be  gentle 

(v.  3),  and  persistent  (v.  4).  (c)  As  to  His  work,  He  establishes 


THE  SUFFERER  AND  SERVANT 


131 


the  divine  covenant  with  Israel,  is  a  light  to  the  Gentiles,  and  will 
give  liberty  to  all  (w.  6,  7).  (d)  Greater  work  than  this  will  he 

do  because  he  is  sustained  of  God  (vv.  8,  9).  Hence  (e)  Praise 
the  Lord  for  His  Servant’s  work  (w.  10-13). 

3 .  Interpretations,  (a)  The  Servant  is  elect  Israel  (Ex.  19:6)  ; 

(b)  personified  Israel  as  in  Hosea  1-3,  (c)  or  an  Individual,  as 
Moses  and  David  were  servants.  It  seems  best  to  regard  the  Serv¬ 
ant  with  His  body  of  believers,  to  be  Christ  the  Head  and  Israel 
or  the  Church  the  body  (Eph.  1:22;  Col.  1:18  etc.).  In  that  case 
the  whole,  Head  and  body,  is  the  Servant  here,  now  fixing  atten¬ 
tion  on  the  Head  and  now  on  the  body. 

§  95.  Isa.  43:1-7,  14-21.  Jehovah  Delivers  His  Servant. 

1.  Deliverance  Assured,  43:1-7.  (a)  The  Servant,  is  here  the 

children  of  Israel  and  God’s  help  is  assured  them  (vv.  1,  2).  (b) 

The  Redemption  that  God  grants,  brings  the  people  from  all  na¬ 
tions,  giving  as  a  recompense  for  the  loss  of  Israel  other  nations 
in  exchange  ‘‘to  the  Persian  conquerer”  (w.  3-6),  and  all  for  His 
own  glory  and  by  grace  alone  (v.  7). 

2.  Israel  as  Witness,  43:8-13.  They  are  to  bear  testimony 
(w.  8-10)  and  do  deeds  (10b-13),  before  the  Gentiles  (vv.  8,  9), 
for  they  are  servants,  mediators  of  His  kingdom,  like  their  Head 
and  through  Him.  He  is  the  vine,  they  are  the  branches,  His  body, 
and  He  does  His  work  only  through  them. 

3.  Free  Grace,  the  Divine  Motive,  Isa.  43:22-25.  This  redemp¬ 
tion  of  His  people  is  (a)  not  of  merit  (v.  24)  but  a  pure  blessing 
from  Jehovah  (43:2,  5,  16,  19-21).  So  far  were  they  from  being 
a  benefit  to  Him  that  were  a  weariness  to  their  God  (w.  22,  23). 
Hence  (b)  it  was  all  of  His  own  accord  that  He  forgive  their  sins 
(v.  25),  which  is  (c)  an  undeniable  fact,  present  and  long  known 
(vv.  22,  23). 

§  96.  Isa.  44:1-5,  21-23.  The  Promised  Spirit. 

1.  The  Spirit,  44:1-5.  (a)  The  blessings  of  forgiveness  in  43: 

25  are  bestowed  on  unworthy  (43:26-28)  and  insignificant  (44: 
1,  2),  but  beloved  Israel  (v.  2v).  Therefore  He  will  pour  out  (b) 
His  Spirit  on  them  like  rain  (44:3a;  cp.  Joel  2:23,  28,  29)  with 

(c)  the  result,  that  Israel  shall  flourish  and  nations  come  to  Is¬ 
rael’s  God  (44:4,  5). 

2.  Redemption  and  Song,  44:21-23.  Forgiven,  redeemed  by 


132 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


grace  alone  (w.  21,  22),  beloved  Israel,  His  servant,  will  sing  Je¬ 
hovah’s  praise  (v.  23). 

§  97.  Isa.  49:1-13.  The  High  Calling  of  the  Servant. 

1.  The  Servant ,  49:1-8.  Four  questions  arise  here  (a)  Who 

is  He?  Here  the  prophet  fixes  his  gaze  on  the  Head,  as  in  42  he 
did  on  the  members.  The  whole  Israel  and  the  Head  make  one 
servant  to  mediate  the  kingdom  in  the  world.  At  one  time  the  im¬ 
perfect  or  even  sinful  members,  at  another  time  the  sinless,  divine- 
human  Head  are  in  the  mental  focus.  Here  it  is  the  individual 
Person,  “me,”  “my”  (w.  1,  2).  (b)  What  is  His  Call  and  Equip¬ 

ment?  He  was  called  by  God  from  His  very  inception  (49:1); 
equipped  as  a  speaker,  that  is  a  prophet  (v.  2).  (c)  What  is  His 

Commission?  He  was  commissioned  to  be  a  Servant  of  God  and 
the  means  of  glorifying  Him  (v.  3),  in  spite  of  apparent  failure 
(v.  4),  by  bringing  in  Israel  (v.  5)  and  the  Gentiles  as  far  as  the 
ends  of  the  earth  (v.  6).  (d)  How  will  He  do  it?  His  way  leads 

through  humiliation  (v.  7a)  to  glory  before  kings  (v.  7b)  and  peo¬ 
ples  (v.  8).  Humiliation  is  a  new  idea  in  Israel  for  the  Servant 
and  He  must  here  be  the  Messiah. 

2.  The  People,  49:9-13.  This  Servant  will  be  the  embodiment 
of  the  covenant  which  the  Lord  made  with  Israel  (v.  8).  They 
will  be  restored  to  their  home  (in  God?),  will  be  well  fed  and 
blessed  (9-12)  and  happy  and  singing  (v.  13).  Nature  will  be 
transformed  into  harmony  with  their  healthy  spiritual  condition. 

§  98.  Isa.  52:13-53:12.  The  Sin  Bearing  Servant. 

Note.  The  second  part  of  Isaiah  (Isa.  40-66)  takes  a  long 
step  forward  in  the  redemptive  ideas  of  the  Old  Testament.  The 
sacrificial  concept  is  translated  out  of  the  animal  sphere  into  the 
sphere  of  human  and  personal  life,  that  is,  into  the  realm  of  the 
conscious  and  voluntary.  So  the  animal  sacrifice  gives  way  to  the 
self-sacrifice  and  the  real  (A.  B.  Davidson,  321). 

1.  The  Theme,  52:12-15.  The  theme  is  exaltation  through 
humiliation.  The  Servant  of  Jehovah  will  be  exalted  (v.  13)  but 
only  through  humiliation  (v.  14).  His  high  exaltation  will  startle 
even  kings,  to  whom  all  this  will  be  unheard  of  and  miraculous. 
The  Hebrew  word,  yasseh,  Hiphil,  from  the  root  nazah,  means  to 
cause  to  spring  up  and  may  be  applied  to  men  or  water,  and  so 
mean  startle  or  sprinkle.  The  context  favors  startle. 

2.  His  Humiliation,  53:1-3.  So  lowly  will  this  Servant  be  that 


THE  SUFFERER  AND  SERVANT 


133 


no  one  will  believe  the  report  of  it,  too  lowly  to  be  believed  (v.  1). 
He  will  be  of  insignificant  origin  as  to  his  humanity  “root  out  of 
dry  ground,”  and  of  unattractive  appearance  (v.  2).  He  will  suf¬ 
fer  reproach,  be  a  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted  with  grief  and 
despised  (v.  3). 

3.  Vicarious  Humiliation,  53:4-6.  Men  did  not  esteem  Him  (v. 
3)  because  they  thought  that  He  suffered  for  His  own  sins  (v.  5b). 
Now  they  see  that  it  was  “our  griefs,”  “our  sorrows,”  “our  trans¬ 
gressions,”  “our  iniquities,”  that  He  bore,  for  which  He  suffered 
(w.  4,  5).  We  are  healed  by  His  suffering  (v.  6).  His  suffering 
is  the  means  of  our  redemption. 

U.  His  Suffering  Man-inflicted,  53:7-9.  These  verses  tell  what 
He  suffered  at  the  hands  of  man.  (a)  He  was  oppressed  and 
afflicted  (v.  7a)  by  a  miscarriage  of  judgment  (v.  8a),  and  suffered 
for  others  (v.  8b).  (b)  Yet  He  bore  all  calmly  and  meekly  (v.  8b) 

and  unresistingly  (v.  9b).  Verse  8b  gives  the  climax  of  His  work. 

5.  His  Suffering  is  God-willed,  53:10-13.  It  was  God’s  plan 
of  salvation  for  the  world,  to  save  it  from  its  sins  (v.  10).  The 
plan  is  sure  of  success  (vv.  10,  11).  He  will  be  satisfied  with  the 
results  of  His  suffering  (vv.  11,  12). 

7.  N.  T.  Fulfillment.  It  was  vicarious  suffering,  as  is  fre¬ 
quently  stated  e.  g.  twice  in  v.  4,  four  times  in  v.  5,  once  in  6,  8, 
10,  11,  twice  in  12,  twelve  times  in  all.  The  Servant’s  course  is 
through  humiliation  to  saving  power  (Heb.  5:7-9;  2:10).  His  sac¬ 
rifice  is  productive  of  good  (53:10,  as  is  the  cross,  John  12:32; 
Mark  10:45).  Note  the  humiliation  of  the  Servant  here  and  the 
ecce  homo  in  John  (53:3b;  John  19:5).  Though  He  dies  and  is 
buried  (53:8,  9)  He  lives  again  (v.  10,  11),  which  is  the  resurrec¬ 
tion  (Acts  2:23,  24,  cp.  1  Peter  2:24). 

The  Servant  cannot  be  a  prophet,  for  this  does  not  harmonize 
with  the  prophet’s  identifying  himself  with  the  saved,  “we,”  “our” 
etc.  He  cannot  be  Israel,  or  the  remnant,  for  the  reason  that  it 
is  too  individualistic  a  deliniation.  It  can  only  be  the  Christ  that 
is  here  in  the  mind  of  the  Spirit  that  inspired  Isaiah  and  is  the 
foreshadowing  of  John  19. 

Note  2.  On  Isaiah  53.  The  whole  sacrificial  system  of  the 
O.  T.  proclaimed  the  need  of  atonement.  Its  essence  is  in  Isa.  53, 
where  the  alone  pure,  absolutely  obedient,  Servant  of  Jehovah  by 
His  unspeakable  shame,  pain,  and  dying  passion  gets  atoning  power 
over  sin.  His  resurrection  and  exaltation  proclaims  this  power. 


134 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


Note  3.  The  relation  of  the  Servant  of  Jehovah  to  the  Mes¬ 
siah.  The  servant  has  nowhere  royal  honor,  nor  is  He  called  the 
Son  of  David.  The  Jews  never  combined  Servant  and  Son  of 
David.  They  had  no  suffering  Messiah,  though  the  Messiah  “must 
needs  suffer”  (Luke  24:26;  Acts  3:18).  So  Zech.  12:10,  “whom 
they  have  pierced.”  The  Jews  had  to  give  up  the  Messianic  refer¬ 
ence  of  Isa.  53  or  accept  Jesus  Christ  as  the  Messiah  (See  §  14). 
In  their  treatment  of  Jesus  they  were  unconsciously  and  blindly 
fulfilling  Isa.  53.  The  injustice  of  his  legal  condemnation  (53:8) 
recurs  in  Acts  2:23.  His  life  as  ransom  in  53:12,  is  found  in 
Mark  10:45.  The  pleasure  of  Jehovah  (53:10)  is  repeatedly  spok¬ 
en  of  in  relation  to  Christ  (John  8:29;  Matt.  3:17;  Mark  1:11  etc.). 

The  suffering  Servant  and  the  royal  Messiah  are  combined  in 
Zech.  9:9,  the  lowly  king.  His  humble  origin  (53:1),  is  also  in 
Micah  5:2-4;  Isa.  11:1;  52:13-15.  This  is  all  well-known  truth  in 
the  New  Testament. 

§  99.  Isa.  55:1-13.  The  Great  Invitation. 

Note.  This  is  an  invitation  to  the  Kingdom  that  is  described 
in  Isa.  54  and  is  the  outcome  of  53. 

1 .  The  Davidic  Covenant,  55:1-5.  What  was  promised  David 

by  Nathan  (2  Sam.  7:14-16)  was  brought  out  by  the  Suffering 
Servant  in  53  and  described  in  54.  The  Blessings  (w.  1-3)  are 
food  and  drink,  life’s  nourishment  (v.  1),  satisfaction  (v.  2),  and 
life  (v.  3).  (b)  The  condition  of  the  blessings  (w.  4,  5)  are  that 

they  are  for  every  body  (v.  1),  for  the  people  (v.  4),  without  price 
and  money  (w.  1,  2).  They  are  mediated  by  the  Davidic  Leader 
(w.  3,  4)  and  for  the  Gentiles  and  all  the  world  (v.  5).  It  is  a 
covenant  of  peace  (54:10;  Ps.  89:28;  Ps.  110). 

2.  On  what  conditions  Enter  the  kingdom  (55:6-9)?  These 

are  (a)  Seeking.  It  will  not  be  forced  on  any  one.  Seeking  shows 
willingness  to  accept  it.  “Seek  and  find,  ask  and  receive”  (Luke 
11:9;  John  5:46;  Rev.  22:17).  (b)  Repentance,  turning  from 

sin  to  God  (v.  7a,  b).  If  this  is  done  there  will  be  free  and  abun¬ 
dant  pardon  (v.  7c;  Rom.  5:20),  and  that  because  God  is  God  (vv. 
8,  9;  Jonah  4). 

3.  The  Svnrety  of  the  Covenant,  55:10,  13.  This  surety  is  in  the 
Son  of  David  and  is  as  sure  as  the  ordinances  of  nature.  It  is 
sure  of  final  realization.  Nature  will  join  in  the  blessings  of  this 
covenant.  The  exuberance  of  nature  will  be  a  sacramental  memor- 


THE  SUFFERER  AND  SERVANT 


135 


ial  and  proof  of  the  divine  presence  (v.  13,  cp.  41:18,  19),  whidh 
the  redeemed  will  enjoy  (Isa.  35). 

§  100.  Isa.  58:8-14;  59:16-21.  The  Reward  of  Righteousness. 

1.  The  Character  of  the  Righteous.  The  glory  of  their  right¬ 
eousness  shall  be  like  an  increasing  dawn  before  them,  and  the 
glory  of  God  himself  behind  them  (58:8),  and  God  will  ever  be  at 
their  call  (58:8b).  But  this  is  on  their  part  conditioned  on  right 
living  (58:1-7),  and  not  on  mere  formalism,  which  is  at  bottom 
only  selfishness  (58:3).  True  fasting,  for  instance,  is  benevolence, 
doing  good  to  others  (v.  6). 

2.  The  Work  of  the  Righteous.  They  will  be  a  blessing  to 
others  (58:12),  so  much  so  that  they  will  be  known  by  the  name, 
Restorer  of  Paths.  The  best  way  of  life  they  walk  in  and  teach. 
Jehovah  will  guide  them  (v.  11).  But  the  condition  of  such  guid¬ 
ance  is  a  life  of  love  (58:9b,  10).  They  shall  enjoy  the  heritage 
of  Jacob  (58:14)  and  possess  the  promised  land  if  they  keep  the 
Sabbath  by  doing  good  (58:13). 

3.  Sinners  Saved  by  Grace.  Isa.  59:16-21.  The  conditions  of 
Isa.  58  are  not  met  by  man.  Israel  is  sinful  and  unable  to  receive 
the  blessings  of  59:18,  but  they  will  repent  (59:9-15).  There  is 
no  help  in  man  (59:16a),  so  God  himself  must  save  (w.  16b-17). 
Israel’s  foes  will  be  punished  (v.  18),  men  will  fear  God  (v.  19) 
and  He  will  come  as  Redeemer  to  Zion,  that  is,  in  His  revealed  way 
(v.  20)  and  His  spirit  will  bring  about  salvation  (v.  21). 

This  section  gives  the  human  side  of  Isa.  53. 

§  101.  Isa.  61.  The  Great  Preacher  of  Redemption. 

1.  His  Mission,  Isa.  61:1-3.  This  is  the  climax  of  the  Servant 
idea.  He  is  anointed  by  the  Spirit  to  preach  to  the  poor,  good  tid¬ 
ings,  liberty  and  divine  favor,  joy  for  heaviness  of  heart,  and  veng¬ 
eance  on  the  wicked  (w.  1,  2).  They  bring  forth  righteous  char¬ 
acter  and  good  deeds  as  a  tree  brings  forth  its  fruit  (v.  3).  Jesus 
used  this  passage  but  stopped  and  the  end  of  the  joyous  message 
(Luke  4:17-22).  He  claimed  it  for  Himself. 

2.  The  Development  of  the  Message,  w.  4-9.  The  redeemed 
will  repair  the  waste  places  (cp.  58:12).  It  seems  that  in  the 
Kingdom,  Israel  will  devote  itself  to  religion,  while  the  Gentiles, 
converted,  will  support  them  as  among  the  Israelites  the  Levites 
supported  the  priests  (vv.  5,  6).  But  according  to  66:20,  21,  the 
Gentiles  will  be  priests  and  Levites.  Israel’s  state  of  shame  will 


136 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


be  reversed  (v.  7).  A  just  God  will  not  allow  them  to  be  ashamed 
again  (v.  8),  and  all  the  world  will  know  them  and  their  God 
(v.  9) . 

3.  The  Servant's  Song  of  Praise.  Isa.  61:10,  11.  Righteous¬ 
ness  will  not  consist  of  works,  but  will  be  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  (v. 
19;  Gal.  5:22).  In  this  chapter  the  Servant  is  not  engaged  in  the 
work  of  substitution  and  interposition,  but  in  proclaiming  the  re¬ 
sults  of  it.  The  sin-bearing  Servant  needs  as  His  counterpart,  the 
joyful  preacher  of  the  glad  tidings  of  a  redemption  that  has  been 
accomplished,  and  so  He  concludes  with  a  Song  of  Joy  in  His 
mouth. 


Summary  of  Chapter  Nine. 

The  main  idea  in  this  chapter  is  the  Servant  of  Jehovah  as  a 
suffering  Messiah.  He  is  forsaken,  yet  through  prayer  he  is  exalt¬ 
ed  (§  91).  He  suffers  because  He  is  righteous  (§  92).  The  serv¬ 
ants  idea  is  most  developed  in  Isa.  40-66.  (§  93).  Whether  it  is 

an  individual  of  the  nation,  God  chose  the  Servant  (§  94).  He  de¬ 
livers  Him  in  His  need  and  He  becomes  a  witness  for  God  of  things 
God  has  done  for  Him  (§  95).  The  mission  of  the  Servant  is  to 
bring  in  Jacob  and  the  Gentiles  (§  97).  In  the  Servant’s  freewill 
assumption  of  sacrifice,  that  system  realizes  its  true  idea  (§  98). 
To  this  great  blessing  which  the  Suffering  Servant  wrought  out, 
all  are  invited  (§  99).  The  Holy  Spirit  is  promised  as  the  enabling 
dynamic  of  the  Servant  (§  96)  and  of  those  who  are  His,  and  this 
is  what  He  preaches  (§100,  101). 

Literature. 

Briggs,  pages  320-373.  Orelli,  pages  376-418.  Delitzsch  §§41- 
43.  A.  B.  Davidson,  pages  408-467  and  377-407. 


THE  RESTORATION  OF  ZION 


137 


CHAPTER  TEN. 

THE  RESTORATION  OF  ZION,  IN  ISA.  XL— LXVI. 

Note.  Zion  is  in  reality  the  citizens  of  Zion.  And  again  Zion 
includes  Palestine  of  which  Zion  is  the  center  and  soul.  For  the 
people,  Isaiah’s  goal  of  redemption  is  a  life  still  closed  with  death, 
though  much  prolonged  (65:19;  33:24;  35:10).  Jerusalem  will 
be  joyous  (51:3).  There  wTill  be  a  treaty  of  peace  with  nature 
(40:6-8;  65:25).  The  city  will  be  beautiful  (54:9-15).  The  soil 
will  be  bountiful  (41:18;  43:19). 

“That  goal  is  the  genuine  Israel,  born  again,  inwardly  eman¬ 
cipated  from  sin,  and  sanctified  by  God’s  wonder-working  Grace. 
They  will  serve  Him  not  only  in  the  outward  forms  of  life,  but  in 
spirit  and  in  truth,  and  in  accord  with  their  high  destiny,  sum¬ 
moning  all  nations  to  this  service,” — Orelli,  Proph.  page  413.  The 
temple  will  no  longer  be  Israelitish  but  a  universal  house  of  prayer 
(56:7),  with  more  than  material  sacrifices  (63:3,  cp.  56:7;  60:7). 
There  will  be  no  opus  operatum. 

§  102.  Isa.  40:1-11;  42:14-17.  Jehovah’s  Highway  to  Zion. 

Note.  Verses  1,  2  constitute  the  text  of  Isa.  40-66.  They  con¬ 
template  the  close  of  the  seventy  years  of  captivity  as  payment  for 
their  sins. 

1.  The  Charge  to  the  Herald,  40:3-5.  He  is  to  tell  Jerusalem 
that  she  is  about  to  be  rewarded  by  the  advent  of  Jehovah.  Na¬ 
ture  will  help  His  coming  (v.  3),  even  all  hindrances  will  be  re¬ 
moved  (v.  4).  Jehovah’s  glory  is  the  cause  of  nature’s  transfor¬ 
mation,  for  He  is  the  God  of  nature  as  of  grace.  This  promise  is 
as  sure  as  that  God  cannot  lie.  (v.  5c). 

2.  The  Good  Shepherd,  40:6-11.  The  herald  is  told  to  preach, 
(v.  6a).  He  refuses  on  the  ground  that  it  is  no  use,  since  man  is 
as  grass  >(6b).  But  God  answers  that  man  indeed  is  as  grass,  but 
not  so  God’s  word  (vv.  7,  8).  The  herald  then  announces  the  ad¬ 
vent  of  the  Shepherd  (v.  9)  which  is  Jehovah,  who  will  come,  hav¬ 
ing  His  reward  with  Him  (v.  10).  He  will  shepherd  them  gently 
(v.  11,  cp.  Zech.  11:7-14;  Ps.  80). 


138 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


3.  Judgment  <m  the  Enemies,  42:14-17.  For  70  years  God  had 
been  silent,  but  now  He  will  be  up  and  doing  (v.  14),  being  really 
compelled  to  bring  forth  as  a  woman  in  travail,  for  the  time  is  up 
(v.  14b).  In  the  new  birth  of  the  nation,  nature  also  is  trans¬ 
formed  (v.  15).  This  is  not  their  work  but  God’s,  (v.  16).  Those 
who  reject  Him  will  be  put  to  shame  (v.  17),  for  their  idols  can¬ 
not  save  them.  He  saves  them  as  one  leads  a  blind  man. 

§  103.  Isa.  45:21-25;  48:17-21.  Jehovah  alone,  God  and  Savior. 

1.  Jehovah  alone  Saves,  45:21-25.  He,  and  not  the  idols  (v. 
20c),  can  and  alone  will  save,  as  He  alone  is  God  (v.  21).  Hence 
the  ends  of  the  earth  must  look  to  Him  for  salvation.  He  has  so 
sworn,  and  so  it  must  be  (v.  23).  Of  the  needed  justification  and 
sanctification  He  alone  is  the  source,  and  all  men  shall  come  unto 
Him  (45:24,  25;  Rom.  10:1-5). 

2.  The  Reason  for  the  Exile,  48:17-21.  The  exile  was  a  refin¬ 
ing  processs  (vv.  10,  17).  Israel  had  forfeited  God’s  blessing  by 
their  sins  (w.  18,  19),  namely  a  blessing  of  peace  like  billows  of 
the  sea  (v.  18).  But  deliverance  will  nevertheless  come  (v.  20), 
with  miracles  greater  than  the  first  exodus,  that  is,  it  will  be  God’s 
work  (v.  21).  But  there  will  be  no  peace  to  the  wicked,  who  have 
not  God  in  their  thoughts  (Isa.  48:22  contrast  with  v.  18). 

The  Babylonian  deliverance  is  the  pledge  and  symbol  of  spirit¬ 
ual  and  universal  salvation.  It  must  come  from  the  One  and  only 
God,  Jehovah,  who  is  the  God  of  Israel. 

§  104.  Isa.  49:14-23;  51:1-8;  52:7-12.  Jehovah  Faithful  to  Zion. 

1.  Jehovah’s  Unfailing  Love  for  Zion,  49:14-23.  Israel  com¬ 
plains  that  Jehovah  has  forgotten  them  (v.  14),  but  He  answers 
that  He  cannot  forget  them  (vv.  15,  16).  He  will  see  to  it  that 
Zion  will  be  filled  with  inhabitants  (vv.  18,  19)  in  surprising  num¬ 
ber  (w.  20,  21).  The  nobles  of  earth  will  help  God,  and  serve 
Israel  (w.  22,  23).  He  is  Jehovah,  and  trust  in  Him  he  will 
honor. 

2.  Comfort  from  Past  Experience,  51:1-8.  They  shall  look 
whence  they  came  (vv.  1-3),  for  as  God  made  them  so  many  from 
z>ne  single  pair,  a  man  and  a  woman  as  good  as  dead  (Rom.  4:19; 
Heb.  11:12),  so  now  He  can  and  will  make  them  a  people  great  and 
blessed,  in  spite  of  appearances  to  the  contrary  (v.  2).  He  will 
greatly  bless  them  (w.  4,  5),  and  His  saving  grace  is  surer  than 
the  heavens  to  them  (v.  6)  in  spite  of  the  revilings  on  the  part  of 
the  godless  (w.  7,  8). 


THE  RESTORATION  OF  ZION 


139 


3.  Deliverance  is  Immanent ,  52:7-12.  The  watchmen  of  Zion 
see  Jehovah  coming  (52:7,  8)  and  sing  for  joy  (v.  9),  and  declare 
his  approach  with  power  (v.  10).  Israel  is  called  forth  from 
Babylon  and  marches  homeward  to  Zion  with  God  as  a  protection 
in  the  rear  (52:11,  12;  cp.  Jer.  30-33;  Ezek.  36:25-35). 

§  105.  Isa.  54:1-17.  The  Ideal  Kingdom. 

Note.  This  chapter  describes  the  Kingdom  as  the  fruits  of 
the  sufferings  of  53,  cp.  52:13;  53:10,  11.  To  this  Isa.  55  is  the 
invitation  (cp.  28:16). 

1.  The  Desolate  Become  Fruitful  54:1-3.  Though  now  with¬ 
out  children,  that  is  inhabitants,  the  city  shall  abound  in  them  and 
shall  possess  the  nations  and  the  world. 

2.  God  and  His  People,  54:4-8.  There  will  be  the  most  inti¬ 
mate  relation  between  God  and  His  people,  for  He  will  be  their 
husband  (v.  5)  and  gather  them  (v.  7)  and  be  their  Redeemer 
(v.  8).  Compare  Hos.  1-3,  the  rejected  and  reinstated  wife. 

3.  His  Mercy  Everlasting ,  w.  9,  10.  As  sure  as  the  Deluge 
will  not  again  come  over  the  earth  (Gen.  8:22),  so  sure  is  His 
mercy  and  more  enduring  than  the  mountains  (v.  10). 

U.  The  New  City  54:11-17.  The  city  shall  be  beautiful  (vv. 
11,  12)  ;  her  inhabitants,  God- taught,  that  is,  by  the  indwelling 
Spirit  (v.  13a),  and  have  great  peace  (13b),  which  is  the  fruit  of 
the  Servant’s  death  (53:5).  Her  righteousness  will  be  her  safety 
(w.  14,  15).  No  weapon  forged  against  her  shall  prosper  (w. 
16,  17).  All  this  will  be  because  they  will  inherit  the  righteous¬ 
ness  of  God,  which  God  supplies  (v.  17;  Rom.  10:3). 

5.  N.  T.  Fulfillment.  The  zedeqah,  righteousness,  here,  is  the 
dikaiosune,  righteousness,  given  by  God  through  the  operation  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  (Rom.  8:1-17;  10:3).  Notice,  “Their  righteous¬ 
ness  is  of  me”  (54:11).  This  righteousness  is  wrought  out  by  the 
suffering  Servant  (Christ)  for  “by  the  knowledge  of  himself  shall 
my  righteous  Servant  justify  many  (53:11). 

§  106.  Isa.  56:5-7;  57:11-21.  The  Universal  House-of-Prayer. 

1.  Forgiveness  and  the  House  of  Prayer,  56:5-7.  The  eunuch, 
excluded  from  the  Old  Covenant,  (Deut.  23:1-6),  is  here  admitted, 
for  the  Old  Covenant  was  symbolic  and  so  a  physical  defect  was 
not  permissible  because  it  would  teach  an  error.  Foreigners  are 
here  admitted  on  condition  that  they  love  God  and  keep  His  sab- 


140 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


bath  and  His  covenant.  All  people  will  be  allowed  to  meet  God  in 
the  new,  spiritual  temple  (56:7c).  The  altar  and  sacrifices  here 
must  be  figurative,  as  these  things  are  in  the  Epistle  to  the 
Hebrews. 

2.  Penitent  and  Impenitent,  57:11-21.  The  former  will  be  re¬ 
ceived  and  the  latter  rejected  and 

a)  The  Land  by  Grace  from  God  (vv.  11-14)  will  be  the  her¬ 
itage  of  the  penitent.  It  can  only  be  had  from  God  (v.  13)  who  at 
last  acts  in  their  behalf  (vv.  11,  12a)  for  they  are  themselves  help¬ 
less  (v.  12c)  as  well  as  their  idols  (v.  13). 

b)  Repentance  as  the  condition  (vv.  15-21).  God  will  give 
them  the  land  only  on  condition  that  they  repent,  have  a  contrite 
heart  (v.  15).  God  ceases  punishing  because  He  is  merciful  (v. 
16).  He  does  punish  man's  sins  but  His  grace  receives  the  man 
(vv.  17,  18).  Because  of  His  compassion,  God  works  in  man,  re¬ 
pentance  and  praise  as  the  “fruit  of  the  lips"  (v.  19a),  and  will 
pardon,  give  peace  and  healing  (v.  19b).  But  the  impenitently 
wicked  will  He  reject  (vv.  20,  21). 

§  107.  Isa.  60.  Zion,  the  Light  of  the  World. 

1.  Israel  its  Source,  v.  1-3.  Of  the  light  of  the  world,  Israel 
is  the  source.  While  Jehovah  shines  in  Israel  and  is  its  light,  the 
world  in  its  darkness  will  find  its  light  in  Israel.  Jehovah's  com¬ 
ing  is  like  the  rising  of  the  sun.  Zion  is  to  be  the  center  of  the 
light  (v.  3)  and  is  to  let  its  light  shine  on  others  (Matt.  5:14-16). 
In  Jer.  3:14-18  Jehovah  is  enthroned  in  the  whole  city,  which  is  to 
be  called  “Jehovah  Our  Righteousness"  (Jer.  33:16),  “Jehovah  is 
There"  (Ezek.  48:35). 

2.  The  Nations  and  Zion’s  Glory,  60:4-14.  The  nations  will 
bring  Zion's  children  to  her  (v.  4)  and  the  wealth  of  the  nations 
(vv.  5-7)  also.  Her  sons  will  come  in  flocks  (v.  8).  The  nations 
will  bring  sacrifices  to  Jehovah  (v.  7),  and  the  city  will  be  built  by 
them  (v.  10)  and  always  open  for  the  reception  of  their  wealth 
(vv.  11,  13).  Those  nations  which  will  refuse  to  serve,  shall  waste 
away  (v.  12).  Israel’s  oppressors  will  bow  down  to  them  and  call 
the  city,  “The  Zion  of  the  Holy  One  of  Israel." 

3.  Contrast,  60:15-22.  Israel,  once  forsaken  and  hated,  shall 
then  be  glorious,  because  redeemed  by  the  Mighty  One  of  Jacob 
(w.  15,  16).  For  all  her  past  evil,  she  gets  all  the  better  things, 
salvation  and  praise  (vv.  17,  18),  for  God  is  her  light  (vv.  19-22). 


THE  RESTORATION  OF  ZION 


141 


“This  song  is  the  gem  of  the  book.  Here  the  glory  of  Zion 
attains  its  height.  It  is  based  on  Isa.  49:14-23,” — Briggs,  page 
394.  This  picture  was  then  invisible  and  ideal.  It  will  be  realized 
spiritually  as  we  read  in  Rev.  21:9-27. 

§  108.  Isa.  62.  Extension  of  Zion’s  Glory. 

1.  Assured  Glory,  62:1-9.  The  city  once  known  as  the  For¬ 
saken,  and  the  Desolate  shall  have  a  New  name,  Hephzibah  and 
Beulah  describing  her  happy  state  when  her  salvation  shall  be  a 
lamp  to  shine  in  her  midst  (1-5).  God  delights  in  her  and  mar¬ 
ries  her.  He  will  not  rest,  nor  let  her  watchmen  rest  until  all  this 
is  accomplished  (w.  6-9). 

2.  Jehovah's  Coming,  (62:10-12).  He  draws  near  on  a  spe¬ 
cially  prepared  high  way  (vv.  10,  11).  His  salvation  comes  and 
the  people  are  called,  Holy,  Sought  Out,  Not  Forsaken  (w.  11,  12) 
and  His  salvation  shall  be  proclaimed  to  the  ends  of  the  earth 
(v.  11).  This  is  an  ideal  picture  that  is  figurative  and  as  to  reali¬ 
zation  is  still  future. 

§  109.  Isa.  65:1 — 66:24.  New  Jerusalem  and  the  New  Church. 

Note,  “The  divine  advent  will  result  in  the  creation  of  a  New 
Heaven  and  a  New  Earth  and  a  New  Jerusalem.” — Briggs. 

1.  Jehovah's  Reply  to  their  Pleading,  Isa.  65.  God  is  anxious 
to  receive  (vv.  1-7),  even  the  heathen  (v.  1),  much  more  His  own 
(v.  2;  Rom.  10:20),  but  being  very  idolatrous  (w.  3,  4)  and  self- 
righteous  (v.  5),  they  must  first  take  the  wages  of  their  sins  (w. 
6,  7).  Not  a  single  godly  one  will  be  lost  (v.  8;  Amos  9:9),  for  to 
all  the  door  of  hope  is  open  (v.  10;  Hos.  2:15).  The  fate  of  the 
wicked  is  in  painful  contrast  to  this  (vv.  13-16;  Luke  16:25). 
Their  lot  will  be  hunger,  wailing,  a  cursed  name,  a  by-word  as 
against  feasting,  singing,  a  New  Name  and  a  proverbial  blessed¬ 
ness.  The  redeemed  will  be  in  glory.  They  will  have  a  new  earth 
(v.  17),  a  new  and  joyful  Jerusalem  (vv.  18,  19)  and  the  full  meas¬ 
ure  of  life.  This  is  less  than  in  25:8.  God  will  not  let  their  labor 
be  unrewarded  (vv.  21-23),  nor  will  they  call  on  Him  in  vain  (v. 
24),  for  they  will  dwell  in  peace  with  Him  and  nature  (v.  25; 
1  Cor.  1:9;  Isa.  11:1). 

2.  The  Consummation  of  the  Kingdom,  Isa.  66.  Sin  drags  its 
foul  presence  all  along  the  way  to  the  last  inch  of  the  way  of  hu¬ 
man  progress.  Even  at  the  goal  it  skulks  in  the  mask  of  religious 


142 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


formality  (66:1-4).  Cod’s  home  is  not  an  earthly  house  (v.  1)  but 
the  humble  heart  of  the  believer  (v.  2c).  Sacrifices  without  the 
spirit  are  worse  than  butchery  (v.  3).  They  are  really  acts  of  dis¬ 
obedience  and  so  rebellion. 

a)  The  Evil  of  Mere  Formality  (1-4).  To  the  Spirit-Creator 
(w.  1,  2),  self-willed  and  unspiritual  worship  is  an  abomination 
(w.  3,  4;  John  4:23,24).  Forms  as  the  expression  of  spirit  and 
truth  are  not  here  condemned  (58:13;  56:4). 

b)  Completion  of  the  Work  Begun  (5-14).  God  will  complete 
what  He  has  begun  and  in  spite  of  the  taunts  of  the  godless  (be 
they  heathen  or  formalists).  These  He  will  recompense  (vv.  5,  6). 
Zion  shall  give  painless  birth  to  a  nation  in  a  day  (vv.  7,  8)  be¬ 
cause  Jehovah  accomplishes  it  (v.  9).  Zion,  like  a  mother  will 
suckle  her  children  with  the  milk  of  joy  (vv.  10,  11).  There  will 
be  peace  like  a  river  and  the  service  of  the  nations  shall  be  theirs 
(v.  12),  and  comfort  (v.  13)  in  fellowship  with  God  (v.  14). 

c)  His  People  in  their  Eternal  Home  (15-24).  With  fierce 
judgment  on  idolaters  (vv.  15,  16),  including  apostate  Jews  (v. 
17),  the  end  will  come.  When  the  nations  shall  be  gathered  for 
judgment  (Joel  3:19),  those  of  them  that  escaped  shall  bear  tid¬ 
ings  to  far  off  absent  ones,  causing  them  to  deliver  up  their  cap¬ 
tives  to  God  and  do  Him  homage  (w.  18-20).  Of  these  He  will 
make  priests  (v.  21).  In  its  New  Home  the  Church  will  sponta¬ 
neously  worship  Jehovah,  while  the  sight  of  the  dead  foes  of  God 
will  ever  remind  them  of  their  own  God-wrought  escape  (w.  13; 
48:32;  57:21). 

3.  The  Messianic  Element.  Here  we  find  the  awful  contrast 
between  the  saved  and  the  unsaved  (66:  23,  24),  the  germ  of  the 
New  Testament  Gehenna,  or  hell.  We  have  also  the  doctrine  of 
the  New  Heavens,  the  City  Above  (2  Peter  3;  Rev.  21). 

Summary  of  Chapter  Ten. 

Zion  is  the  city  and  people.  Jehovah  will  lead  the  people  like 
a  shepherd  on  the  King’s  Highway  (§  102),  for  He  alone  is  Saviour 
of  the  flock  (§  103).  He  is  true  to  Zion,  loves  her  and  will  redeem 
her  (§  104),  making  an  ideal  kingdom  of  her  (§  105),  a  universal 
house  of  prayer  (§  106),  and  so  Zion  will  be  the  light  of  the  world 
(§  107)  and  known  to  all  the  world  (§  108).  Old  things  will  have 
passed  away  and  all  things  are  New. 

Literature. 


Briggs,  p.  375-409. 


THE  RESTORATION  OF  THE  JEWISH  STATE  143 


CHAPTER  ELEVEN. 

THE  RESTORATION  OF  THE  JEWISH  STATE. 

Note.  The  restoration  of  the  Jewish  state  took  place  accord¬ 
ing  to  previous  prophecy,  but  it  was  very  meager  because  of  their 
lack  of  faith  (cp.  Matt.  13:58).  The  political  world  was  much 
disturbed  at  the  time  of  the  return  from  exile  and  after.  There 
was  no  prospect  of  Gen.  12:1-3  being  soon  fulfilled.  To  instill 
faith  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  was  the  mission  of  Haggai  and 
Zechariah,  prophets  truly  called  by  God. 

§  110.  Hag.  2:6-9,  21-23.  The  Glory  of  the  New  Temple. 

1.  The  Occasion  of  the  prophecy.  The  Samaritans  had  ob¬ 
structed  the  building  of  the  temple  under  Zerubbabel  (Ezr.  4:24; 
5:1,  2),  for  the  space  of  about  14  years  B.C.  536-520,  the  end  of  the 
reign  of  Darius.  The  people  by  this  time  became  accustomed  to 
seeing  the  temple  lie  in  ruins,  and  made  as  excuses,  that  the  nations 
were  in  unrest  and  threatening,  that  the  people  were  too  poor  to 
build  a  temple  worthy  of  Jehovah,  or  equal  in  wealth  to  that  of 
Solomon.  Haggai  refutes  this  and  promises  divine  help  and  a 
greater  glory  for  this  second  temple. 

2.  The  Divine  Help ,  2:6,  7,  22.  This  divine  help  is  to  come 
through  physical  and  political  revolutions.  David  had  supplied 
the  means  for  the  temple  of  Solomon,  largely  from  conquest  (2 
Sam.  8:11;  1  Chron.  29:2).  God  owns  all  wealth,  and  if  He  wants 
to,  can  fill  this  house  as  well  as  the  former  with  material  wealth 
(2:8).  But  He  will  do  better.  He  will  make  the  future  temple 
(the  spiritual  temple  and  the  Church  for  which  the  material  temple 
is  the  symbol)  the  vehicale  of  PEACE  (2:9).  Shalom,  peace,  in¬ 
cludes  all  other  blessings  besides  peace  in  the  narrower  sense. 
Peace  and  soundness  (  shalem),  is  a  nations’  greatest  asset.  When 
they  have  peace  based  on  God-given  righteousness  (Rom.  14:17) 
they  will  have  the  wealth  of  the  nations  also. 

3.  Zerubbabel,  Type  of  Christ,  2:21-23.  He  is  a  descendant 
of  David.  In  the  very  midst  of  world  commotion  and  ruin  he,  the 
scion  of  David,  is  honored.  The  kingdoms  and  thrones  of  the 


144 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


world-powers  will  tumble  (2:21,  22),  but  Zerubbabel,  the  scion  of 
David,  gets  divine  assurance  and  the  seal  of  Jehovah’s  presence 
(2:23).  The  signet  ring  means  close,  intimate  connection,  in  fact 
a  kind  of  legal  identity,  a  power  of  attorney.  His  name  is  en¬ 
graved  in  it  (Col.  2:9). 

§.  111.  Zech.  2:4-13;  8:1-23.  The  Glory  of  the  New  Jerusalem. 

1.  The  City  of  God  Unlimited,  2:1-5;  Heb.  2:5-9.  It  will  have 
no  walls,  for  no  limits  can  be  set  for  the  New  City  with  its  large 
and  rapidly  growing  population  (v.  4),  and  no  walls  will  really  be 
needed  as  God  himself  will  be  a  wall  of  fire  around  them  (v.  5). 
In  Isa.  54:14  the  righteous  character  of  the  saints  will  be  their 
protection. 

2.  Recompense  on  the  Heathen,  2:6-9;  Heb.  2:11-13.  Israel 
is  to  flee  from  the  hand  and  land  of  their  captors  (vv.  6,  7),  and 
the  enemy  will  be  recompensed  for  sins  against  God,  who  sent  the 
angel  of  Jehovah  (God  Himself  in  the  Second  Person?  1:11) 
to  look  after  His  reputation  and  honor  (v.  3)  by  punishing  the 
heathen  (v.  9). 

3.  Present  and  Future  Blessing  on  Jerusalem,  2:10-13;  Heb. 
2:14-17;  8:1-8.  God  will  bless  the  city  by  dwelling  in  it  (v.  10). 
Gentiles  will  become  part  of  His  people  (v.  11).  “Me”  is  the  angel 
(v.  11).  The  angel  is  sent  from  Zion  as  center  (vv.  12,  13).  There 
will  be  no  more  fasting  for  the  city’s  evils  (Zech.  7:3),  for  God 
will  return  to  her  in  love  (8:l-3a),  and  she  shall  have  a  new  name, 
— “The  City  of  Truth  etc.”  (v.  3).  She  shall  swarm  with  people 
young  and  old  (v.  8:5,  6),  gathered  from  every  where  (8:7,  8). 

U.  The  Present  City  Encouraged.  8:9-17).  In  view  of  the 
promise  of  the  presence  of  God  in  8:8,  the  present  city  can  take 
courage  (v.  9).  Once  they  were  poor  and  helpless  (v.  10)  but  now 
it  is  otherwise  (v.  11).  Nature  will  be  propitious  (v.  12).  Once 
they  were  cursed,  now  they  will  be  blessed  by  the  nations  (v.  13). 
As  surely  as  the  threatened  curses  came  so  surely  will  the  prom¬ 
ised  blessings  come  (8:14,  15).  Hence,  live  honest  among  your¬ 
selves  (vv.  16,  17). 

5.  Jerusalem  as  World-center,  8:18-23.  There  shall  be  joy  in 
place  of  past  fasting  (vv.  18,  19).  The  nations  will  seek  Jehovah 
(8:20-22;  Isa.  2:2-4).  The  Jew  will  be  the  man  sought  after  (v. 
23)  because  God  is  within  His  people. 


THE  RESTORATION  OF  THE  JEWISH  STATE  145 


§  112.  Zech.  3:8 — 4:14;  6:9-15.  Crowning  the  Priest. 

1.  The  Perfect  Priesthood  of  the  Future ,  3:7-10. 

a)  Conditioned  on  God-given  Purity  (w.  4,  5).  Joshua  the 
priest  of  the  time  was  brought  before  Jehovah,  because  he  was 
arrayed  in  impure  priestly  garment  which  represent  his  and  the 
congregation’s  character.  He  is  accused  by  Satan,  the  Accuser, 
but  forgiven  by  God  and  arrayed  in  pure  garments,  made  worthy 
to  walk  among  the  priests  and  represent  the  now  sanctified  con¬ 
gregation,  and  is  to  have  access  to  God  (Lev.  10:3).  Compare  the 
glory  garments  of  Aaron,  (Ex.  28:40)  as  against  the  filthy  gar¬ 
ments  in  3:3.  This  is  a  purity  given  by  God,  not  of  merit. 

b)  The  New  Priesthood,  3:7-10.  Because  of  the  insufficiency 
of  the  Aaronic  priesthood  there  is  needed  a  new  priesthood.  Joshua 
and  his  fellow  priests  form  a  college  of  priests  and  represent  the 
entire  body  of  priests  and  the  office.  They  are  a  sign,  a  miracle, 
wonderfully  preserved  up  to  that  date,  and  are  a  miracle  of  pre¬ 
diction  of  the  new  and  future  priesthood.  They  were  preserved 
through  the  exile  (3:30;  Ps.  81:7).  For  the  sign  compare  Isa. 
8:18;  Ezek.  12:6. 

c)  The  Branch,  8:8c,  9.  This  branch,  or  sprout,  Zenach,  is 
the  center  and  meaning  of  the  college  of  priests.  The  Branch 
seems  to  be  the  stone,  like  the  stone  substitute  for  the  ark  in 
the  second  temple,  and  so  the  symbol  of  the  presence  of  God.  The 
eyes  seem  to  be  the  eyes  of  God  lovingly  watching  over  it.  (Zech. 
4:10;  Rev.  1:4;  5:6).  Iniquity  will  be  removed  by  God  in  con¬ 
nection  with  the  mysterious  Branch  and  resulting  in  wonderful 
peace  (8:9,  10). 

2.  The  Temple  and  the  Priest-King.  Zech.  4:1-9.  The  temple 

will  be  completed  through  the  divine  Spirit  as  the  sphere  of  the 
Priest-King’s  ministrations  and  for  the  encouragement  of  the  peo¬ 
ple  in  view  of  the  present  desolate  conditions.  (a)  The  candle 
stick,  the  bearer  of  the  light,  is  the  congregation  (Ex.  25:31,  37; 
Rev.  1:20;  4:5).  (b)  The  two  olive  trees  represent  the  theocratic 

kingship  and  priesthood  (4:14).  They  are  the  channels  through 
which  the  Holy  Spirit  pours  His  influence  and  power,  dunamis. 
It  is  not  human,  but  divine,  power  that  will  accomplish  the  com¬ 
pletion  of  the  Jewish  state  or  theocracy,  represented  by  the  mater¬ 
ial  temple  in  process  of  erection  (4:6).  (c)  Zerubbabel  (4:7-10) 

is  the  royal  representative,  insignificant  in  himself  but  pregnant 


146 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


with  great  possibilities  in  the  hands  of  the  divine  Spirit.  All  op¬ 
position  of  Satan  (3:2)  and  of  man  shall  vanish  and  God  will  fin¬ 
ish  the  temple  (4:9). 

3.  The  Crowning  of  the  High  Priest,  6:9-15.  The  day  after 
the  night  of  visions  (Zech.  1:1  to  6:8),  Zechariah  was  to  take  the 
gold  and  silver,  brought  from  Babylon  (6:10),  and  have  a  crown 
made  and  set  it  on  the  head  of  Joshua  the  Priest  (6:11).  It  was 
the  prelude  of  the  crowning  of  One  Person  to  the  double  office  of 
priest  and  king,  that  is  of  the  Branch,  the  center  of  the  priest 
service  (3:8),  and  that  is  the  Coming  Messiah,  who  was  and  is 
to  be  the  two  in  One  (6:12,  13).  The  Davidic  Ruler  is  also  priest, 
will  build  the  temple  (6:15),  the  same  work  as  in  4:7,  9.  That 
the  metal  came  from  afar  to  build  the  temple  is  made  typical  of 
the  entrance  of  the  Gentiles  into  the  Kingdom  of  God  (6:15).  The 
crown  is  laid  up  as  a  memorial  of  this  prophetic  act. 

Here  the  Comer  Stone  of  Isa.  28:16  comes  to  its  own.  Though 
rejected  by  Israel  He  is  approved  and  crowned  (Matt.  21:42-46; 
Acts  4:11;  Ps.  118:20-24). 

§  113.  Zech.  9:9,  10.  The  King  of  Peace. 

1.  This  section  of  Zechariah  (9-14)  is  by  many  regarded  as 
earlier  in  time  of  composition  than  the  rest  of  the  book.  But  such 
men  as  Dr.  August  Koehler  and  Dr.  Marcus  Dodds  place  it  in  the 
time  of  the  restoration.  We  have  here  a  prediction  of  the  estab¬ 
lishment  of  the  Messianic  Kingdom  after  the  nations  have  been 
visited  with  divine  judgment  (9:1-8)  and  put  under 

2.  The  King  of  Peace,  9:9,  10.  It  is  not  by  carnal  weapons  or 
warfare  that  peace  comes  or  is  maintained.  The  King  comes,  not 
on  a  war-horse,  but  on  a  beast  ridden  by  judges,  justices  of  the 
peace  (Judg.  5:10).  He  has  all  the  qualifications  of  the  judge 
(v.  9),  and  wars  shall  cease,  but  His  dominion  will  be  world- wide 
(v.  10b),  and  peace  will  be  universal.  Compare  Micah  4:1-5;  Ps. 
72:7,  8;  110:2;  Isa.  9:1-7;  11:1-11;  Ps.  68.  (The  March  of  Jeho¬ 
vah)  . 

3.  The  Fulfillment.  This  passage  is  quoted  as  fulfilled  by 
Jesus’  riding  into  Jerusalem  on  an  ass  on  Palm  Sunday.  This 
prophecy  would  no  doubt  have  been  fulfilled  in  the  very  nature  and 
method  of  Jesus  reign,  even  if  He  had  not  entered  into  Jerusalem 
riding  on  an  ass,  but  there  was  a  convincing  evidence  of  its  ful¬ 
fillment  in  this  external  detail,  that  should  have  arrested  the  at- 


THE  RESTORATION  OF  THE  JEWISH  STATE  147 


tention  of  the  Jews  and  forced  their  conviction.  (Matt.  21:5;  John 
12:15). 

§  114.  Zech.  10:3-12.  Restoration  through  a  Sea  of  Trouble. 

That  is  Judah  and  Israel  shall  be  restored  through  a  sea  of 
trouble. 

1.  Judah ,  God's  Flock  and  War-horse,  10:1-5.  Under  the  fig¬ 
ure  of  a  flock  annoyed  by  wild  beasts,  Jehovah  saves  Judah  (v.  3) 
and  makes  them  the  instrument  for  punishing  false  shepherds  and 
the  nations  (w.  3b,  5,  lib;  cp.  Micah  4:13).  God  will  be  to  them 
the  foundation  of  a  nation,  their  strength  and  defense  (vv.  4,  5). 

2.  Ephraim,  10:6,  7.  While  Judah  is  the  main  factor,  and  the 
aggressive  one  (w.  1-5),  Ephraim  will  join  in  the  benefits.  Once 
cast  off  (Amos  9:8),  they  are  now  received  back  with  joy. 

3.  Restored,  United,  and  Missionary,  10:6-8.  They  shall  be 
gathered  (v.  8)  and  sent  out  for  propaganda  (v.  11).  They  shall 
be  in  multitudes  in  Palestine  (v.  10),  and  all  this  through  a  sea  of 
affliction  (v.  11)  like  an  other  Exodus.  Assyria  shall  be  humbled 
and  converted  (v.  lib,  12).  Under  the  leadership  of  Jehovah,  Is¬ 
rael  will  be  heroes  and  victors  (Rom.  8:35-37;  Rev.  6:2;  John  16: 
33).  On  Judah  and  Joseph,  see  Hos.  1:6,  7.  On  “scatter  and  mul¬ 
tiply,”  see  Zech.  10:8,  9;  cp.  Hos.  1:4,  10;  2:23.  On  “sea  of  trou¬ 
ble,”  see  Zech.  10:11b;  Hos.  11:10,  11;  Isa.  11:15,  16.  On  “walk 
in  the  name  of  Jehovah,”  see  Zech.  10:12;  Micah  4:2-5. 

§  115.  Zech.  11:7-14.  The  Rejected  Shepherd. 

1.  Divine  Punishment  of  the  Flock.  11:1-6.  In  10:3  God’s 
anger  was  expressed  against  the  false  shepherds  of  His  people,  but 
by  this  time  the  sheep  have  become  like  the  shepherds  and  are  de¬ 
serving  of  the  severe  punishment  which,  as  usual,  comes  from  the 
North  (w.  1-3).  The  shepherds  are  butchers  and  feed  for  slaugh¬ 
ter  only  (v.  4).  In  doing  this  they  feel  no  sense  of  guilt,  but  are 
piously  complacent  about  their  ill-gotten  wealth,  and  even  bless  God 
for  it.  They  have  no  pity  on  their  sheep  (v.  5).  Of  these  evils 
the  sheep,  the  people,  though  abused,  are  also  guilty,  and  hence  God 
will  not  spare  them  any  more,  but  will  deliver  the  people  up  to 
their  wicked  shepherds,  kings  or  priests  (v.  6).  The  people  did  not 
submit  to  God,  but  preferred  such  shepherds.  Hence  “let  them 
have  them.”  They  will  learn  what  human  rule  really  means.  Com¬ 
pare  the  history  of  Jerusakmi  ;Ust  before  A.D.  70. 


148 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


2.  The  Shepherds  are  Rejected ,  11:7-14. 

a)  God  Himself  Shepherd,  (vv.  7,  8).  In  their  sad  state  as 
described  in  11:6,  7,  God  pities  them,  and  so  will  Himself  shepherd 
them.  He  made  for  Himself  a  club  and  a  crook  and  gave  these  in¬ 
struments  names.  The  one,  the  club  for  defense,  He  named  “Beau¬ 
ty,”  grace  (v.  10).  The  other,  the  crook,  for  guidance,  He  named 
“Bands.”  Under  His  guidance  the  flock  kept  together  (cp.  v.  14). 
He  found  the  people  unappreciative  of  the  noble  service  which  He 
performed  through  or  by  His  staves,  Grace  and  Union,  and  so  He 
destroyed  three  kings  in  a  brief  space  of  time  and  was  impatient 
with  the  people  (v.  8).  The  three  shepherds  have  been  supposed 
to  have  been  Zechariah,  Shallum  and  an  unknown  third  (2  Kings 
15:10,  13),  or  Antiochus,  Eupater,  and  Demetrius,  B.  C.  172-141, 
or  perhaps  best,  some  priests  and  prophets  (Dodds  Com.  page  108). 

b)  The  Rejected  Flock  (vv.  9-11).  God  left  them  to  their 
fate  (v.  9)  and,  as  a  symbol  of  this,  broke  His  staff,  Grace,  that  is 
the  covenant  with  the  nations  pledging  them  not  to  hurt  His  flock 
(Hos.  2:18).  So  the  miserable  flock  that  paid  no  attention  to  the 
prophet,  saw  that  it  was  the  Lord  (vv.  12-14). 

c)  The  Despised  Shepherd  (vv.  12-14).  Their  Estimate  of 
Him  (v.  12).  He  is  done  with  them  and  asks  for  His  pay,  pay  for 
His  service  to  them  at  their  own  valuation,  and  they  give  to  Him, 
their  Shepherd,  the  price  of  a  salve  (Ex.  21:32).  He  was  not 
worth  more  to  them,  king  though  He  was.  A  shekel  is  valued  at 
from  45  to  85  cents  according  to  the  market  value  of  silver.  (2) 
The  Price  Rejected  (v.  13).  He  contemptously  casts  the  price 
away.  The  potter’s  field,  with  all  the  usable  clay  gone,  was  then 
used  as  a  dump.  This  goodly  price  forsooth,  He  throws  away  into 
the  temple,  that  is  to  God,  for  His  wages  belong  to  God.  The  un¬ 
dervaluation  of  good  and  useful  men  is  common  in  history.  (3) 
Disunion  Follows  (v.  14).  The  staff,  or  crook,  “bands”  He  breaks 
and  disunion  sets  in  as  it  did  when  Titus  besieged  Jerusalem. 

3.  New  Testament  Fulfillment.  Fulfillment  is  in  Christ  and 
Christ  alone.  The  30  pieces  suddenly  appear  in  the  last  scenes  of 
our  Lord’s  connection  with  His  people  whom  He  had  been  shepherd¬ 
ing.  This  turned  out  to  be  the  sum  paid  by  the  rulers,  the  repre¬ 
sentatives  of  the  people,  the  Jews,  as  their  estimate  of  His  service 
(Matt.  26:15).  It  was  cast  into  the  house  of  the  Lord.  It  burned 
in  the  conscience  of  Judas  (the  incarnation  of  apostate  Israel),  and 
he  flung  the  money  and  the  guilt  back  on  the  rulers  (Matt.  27:9, 


THE  RESTORATION  OF  THE  JEWISH  STATE  149 


10).  The  sum  was  applied  to  buy  a  potter’s  field  (Matt.  27:10). 
It  was  enough  to  buy  a  useless,  worked-out  clay  pit.  Matthew 
ascribes  this  passage  to  Jeremiah.  Why,  is  not  known.  Compare 
Milton’s  Lycidas,  lines  108-131  and  Ruskin’s,  Sesame  and  Lilies. 

§  116.  Zech.  12-14.  Israel’s  Final  Victory  and  Blessedness. 

Note.  These  chapters  describe  one  period.  The  events  are 
not  in  chronological  order,  “but  rather  as  if  his  mind  were  re¬ 
called  by  their  magnitude  to  depict  the  same  events  from  another 
point  of  view”  (Dodds,  page  112).  We  shall  therefore  arrange 
the  parts  in  what  may  be  chronological  or  theological  order. 

1.  The  Smitten  Shepherd ,  13:7-9.  The  shepherd  is  the  King 
and  seems  to  be  smitten  by  His  own  people,  as  appears  in  their 
lament  (12:10-14),  but  by  that  portion  of  them  that  is  hostile  to 
Him,  perhaps  partly  in  ignorance,  for  some  of  them,  that  are  espe¬ 
cially  His,  are  scattered  (13:7).  But  He  will  turn  His  hand  for 
good  to  these  few  and  helpless  ones  (13:7c),  though  only  a  third 
shall  escape,  that  is,  the  refined  remnant  (13:8,  9a),  who  will  then 
be  God’s  people  and  He  will  be  their  God  (13:9b).  This  is  a  mar¬ 
tyr  Prince  who  dies  with  and  for  His  people. 

2.  Repentance  of  Israel ,  Zech.  12:10-14.  They  lament  for  the 
One  whom  they  have  pierced.  God  will  pour  upon  the  people  a 
spirit  of  grace  and  favor  toward  God,  a  new  disposition  toward 
Him.  They  will  make  supplications  and  prayer  to  Him,  by  means 
of  which  they  will  see  what  they  have  done  to  their  Lord,  and  shall 
lament  it  most  bitterly  (12:10).  In  piercing  their  Shepherd,  they 
pierced  Jehovah,  figuratively  or  literally  (12:10c).  They  will 
mourn  as  at  Hadad  Rimmon  (2  Kings  23:29)  each  by  himself  (12: 
11-14;  John  12:32;  Rom.  2:4).  The  death  of  the  Shepherd  leads 
to  repentance. 

3.  The  Salvation  of  the  Besieged  City,  12:1-9.  After  they 
have  turned  to  God  in  the  pierced  One,  they  will  have  the  Spirit 
of  God  in  them  and  will  be  proof  against  all  their  foes.  As  the 
enemies  devour  Jerusalem,  she  will  cause  her  devourer  to  reel  and 
stagger.  Then  the  nations  shall  find  her  a  load  and  a  thorn  (12: 
3).  God  will  destroy  them  (12:4).  They  will  find  Jerusalem  a 
firebrand  among  them  (12:5,  6a),  because  God  is  in  her  midst 
(12:5).  Jerusalem  and  her  people  will  be  great  (12:6b-8),  while 
all  her  foes  will  perish  (12:9). 

U .  The  Purging  of  Israel.  13:1-6.  A  fountain  for  cleansing 


150 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


will  God  open  for  guilt  and  uncleanness  of  sin  (v.  1).  Idols  shall 
be  done  away  with  (v.  2a).  There  will  be  national  repentance  (?). 
The  prophet,  that  is  the  false  prophet,  or  the  predictor,  then  no 
longer  needed,  must  be  false,  and  that  because  all  prophecy  has 
been  fulfilled.  Men  will  be  afraid  or  ashamed  to  wear  the  insignia 
of  the  prophetic  office  and  lie  to  hide  their  shame,  if  detected  with 
them  on  (13:4,  5,  6) . 

5.  The  Day  of  Jehovah,  14:1-6.  This  seems  to  refer  to  the 
final  Day  of  Jehovah.  He  lets  the  enemy  come  up  against  His  peo¬ 
ple  and  lets  him  do  his  worst,  so  will  he  fill  up  the  cup  of  his  ini¬ 
quity  and  ripen  for  the  judgment  awaiting  him  (vv.  1,  2).  Then 
Jehovah  will  appear  on  Mount  Olives  and  the  mountain  will  cleave 
asunder  and  form  a  broad  plain,  flanked  by  the  mountains  thus 
formed,  for  the  protection  of  God’s  people,  who  will  rush  hither 
for  safety  in  as  much  as  it  will  reach  near  them  in  Jerusalem 
(“reach  Azel,”  Dodds). 

6.  The  City  Rejuvinated,  14:7-11.  Natural  luminaries  will  be 
dispensed  with  (v.  6),  but  there  will  be  one  continuous  daylight, 
“due  to  God’s  presence”  (?).  Compare  Rev.  22:5;  Zech.  14:7.  A 
perennial  stream  of  life-giving  waters  will  flow  out  of  Jerusalem 
(v.  8;  cp.  Ezek.  47:1-12;  Joel  3:18;  Rev.  22:1,  2).  God  alone  will 
be  king  (v.  9)  over  all  the  earth,  ruling  from  His  special  abode  in 
Jerusalem  (the  Christian  Church).  The  land  about  Jerusalem  will 
be  depressed  and  the  city  exalted  (v.  10),  and  inhabited  by  peace¬ 
ful  men  (v.  11). 

7.  Judgment  on  the  Oppressor,  14:12-15.  Those  persistently 
opposed  to  God  will  perish  (v.  12).  For  refuge  they  shall  flee  to 
the  next  neighbor,  only  to  be  knocked  down  in  the  confusion  (v. 
13).  Jerusalem  will  fight  and  gain  booty  from  the  besieging  foes 
around  the  city  (v.  14).  Even  the  animals  of  the  enemy  will  fall 
(v.  15). 

8.  The  Homage  of  the  Nations,  14:16-21.  The  remnant,  the 
survivers  of  the  nations,  will  worship  God  (v.  16)  on  pain  of 
drought  (v.  17),  but  Egypt,  which  needs  no  rain,  on  pain  of  the 
plague  (w.  18,  19).  All  things  and  persons  will  be  holy  to  Jeho¬ 
vah  (w.  20,  21). 

§  117.  Psalms  93-100.  Jehovah  the  Holy  King. 

Note.  1.  These  psalms  sing  the  praise  of  Jehovah  as  King 
universal.  But  the  Messianic  kingship  is  in  abeyance  to  make  room 


THE  RESTORATION  OF  THE  JEWISH  STATE  151 


for  the  priesthood  of  the  Messiah.  From  Jeremiah  on  the  covenant 
idea,  the  preliminary  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  the  creation  of  new 
heart  is  stressed  and  royalty  recedes.  After  the  exile  the  Davidic 
kingdom  was  not  again  set  lip,  but  the  altar  was  prominent  and 
>vhen  Jesus  came  He  did  not  stress  His  kingship  but  His  priesthood 
or  atoning  function. 

These  psalms  stress  the  kingship  of  Jehovah,  God,  and  prepare 
the  minds  of  the  people  for  the  work  which  Jehovah  will  do  in  the 
sending  of  His  Son.  Jesus  stresses  His  subordination  to  the  Fath¬ 
er.  It  is  all  the  Father’s  work  that  Jesus  is  doing  (John  5:19,  30; 
8:28;  12:49). 

1.  Jehovah’s  Throne  Above  the  Nations,  Ps.  93.  It  is  estab¬ 
lished  firmly  (w.  1-3),  so  that  no  earthly  power  can  upset  His 
kingdom  (w.  3,  4).  His  word  is  sure,  His  kingdom  holy  (v.  5). 

2.  The  Vengeance  of  Jehovah,  Ps.  94.  Jehovah’s  people  ap¬ 
peal  to  Him  to  show  Himself  as  Judge  of  the  earth  (w.  1,  2),  for 
the  wicked  do  great  mischief,  boast,  and  afflict  His  people  (w.  3-6). 
They  think  God  does  not  see  (vv.  7,  8),  but  He  does  take  notice  and 
He  does  know  (w.  9-11).  These  afflictions  of  God’s  people  are  a 
blessing  (w.  12,  13),  for  Jehovah  will  not  cast  off  His  own  (vv.  14, 
15).  The  psalmist  has  found  God  his  only  refuge  and  comfort  (w. 
16-19),  for  He  will  surely  overthrow  the  wicked  (vv.  20-23). 

3.  Jehovah  King  Over  All,  Ps.  95.  Hence  it  is  proper  to  praise 
Him  and  take  warning  for  He  is  really  King  (vv.  1-4).  He  made 
all  (w.  5,  6)  and  is  worshipped  (7).  Therefore  beware  of  the 
fate  of  the  rebellious  (w.  8-11). 

U.  Jehovah  the  Incomparable,  Ps.  96.  Jehovah  is  King  (v.  10), 
hence  the  challenge  to  praise  Him  (vv.  1-3),  for  He  is  above  all 
gods  (w.  4-6).  Let  all  the  peoples  praise  Him  (vv.  7,  8),  worship 
him  (v.  9)  and  exult  in  His  rule  (v.  10),  for  He  comes  in  judg¬ 
ment  (v.  13).  This  is  the  cause  of  Joy  (vv.  11,  12). 

5.  The  Judgment  of  Jehovah,  Ps.  97.  Through  judgment  Je¬ 
hovah’s  kingdom  is  established  and  completed,  for  He  appears  in 
aweful  theophany  for  this  judgment  (vv.  1-5),  so  that  all  the  heav¬ 
ens  will  declare  His  righteousness  (v.  6).  Hence  let  confusion 
overtake  worshippers  of  gods  (v.  7).  But  Israel  will  be  glad  in 
His  judgments  (vv.  8,  9).  It  hates  evil  (v.  10)  and  He  will  deliver 
such,  and  they  will  rejoice  in  Him  (vv.  10a-12). 

6.  Israel’s  Redeemer,  the  World’s  Judge,  Ps.  98.  Jehovah’s 


152 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


deliverance  of  Israel  is  marvelous  in  the  sight  of  all  nations  (w. 
1-3).  Hence  let  all  nature:  seas,  rivers,  and  mountains  praise 
Him  (vv.  4-6),  and  let  all  nature  rejoice  because  He  comes  to  judge 
(w.  7-9;  96:10-13). 

7.  Praise  for  His  fidelity  to  Israel,  Ps.  99.  He  thrones  in,  and 
rules  from  Zion  (vv.  1-3),  and  rules  also  righteously  over  Israel. 
Holy  is  He  (w.  4,  5),  as  He  has  long  shown  Himself  in  history 
(w.  6-9).  V.  5  and  v.  9  are  a  refrain. 

8.  Praise  and  Thanksgiving  to  Jehovah,  Ps.  100.  Jubilate. 
Let  the  world  worship  God  the  King  (vv.  1,  2),  for  He  is  Creator 
and  Shepherd  of  the  people  (v.  3).  Let  them  worship  Him  in  His 
temple  (v.  4)  and  praise  Him  (v.  5). 

Note  2.  With  the  exaltation  in  these  Psalms  of  Jehovah  as 
supreme  king,  the  heart  of  the  believing  Israelite  was  assured  of 
God’s  ability  and  necessity  of  establishing  the  reign  of  the  Messiah 
in  the  face  of  the  sins  of  the  people  which  so  depressingly  confront¬ 
ed  the  human  heart  and  for  the  removal  of  which  Jehovah,  the 
supreme  and  universal  King,  was  making  provision  in  the  cleansing 
and  new  creation  of  His  people. 

§  118.  Malachi.  Elijah  Redivivus. 

1.  Contents  of  the  Book.  A)  The  First  Address.  Complaint 

of  a  lack  of  appreciation  of  God,  Mai.  1.  (a)  God’s  preference  for 

Israel  (vv.  1-5)  should  cause  them  to  love  and  obey  Him,  but  (b) 
the  priests  and  the  people  despise  Him  (vv.  6-14)  while  the  heathen 
do  (or  will)  worship  Him  everywhere  (1:11).  B)  The  Second 
Address,  Faithlessness  of  Priests  and  people,  2:1-16.  (a)  The 

Levites  are  fallen  from  their  first  estate  (2:1-9)  and  (b)  are  faith¬ 
less  in  their  marriage  relations,  (2:10-16).  C)  The  Third  Ad¬ 
dress:  The  Day  of  Jehovah,  2:17 — 4:6.  (a)  Purification  by  judg¬ 
ment  (2:17—3:12).  (b)  Vindication  of  God’s  righteousness  (3:13 

— 4:3).  (c)  The  forerunner  of  the  judgment  (4:4-6). 

2.  The  Messianic  Element,  Mai.  2:17 — 4:6. 

a)  Their  sins  seem  to  have  brought  them  into  trouble.  Their 
lives  were  wicked  because  they  despised  God,  saying  it  did  not  mat¬ 
ter  what  one  did,  God  did  not  notice  (17a),  or  at  least  did  not  ap¬ 
pear  to  do  justice  (17b).  They  wanted  God  to  show  himself. 

b)  God’s  Answer  (3:1-6).  God  declares  that  He  will  indeed 
come,  but  has  to  send  His  messenger  to  prepare  the  way  before 


THE  RESTORATION  OF  THE  JEWISH  STATE  153 


Him,  because  they,  as  they  are,  cannot  endure  the  presence  of  the 
judgment  (vv.  1-3).  Before  their  sacrifices  can  be  accepted  there 
must  be  a  refining  process  (3:3-5).  Should  He  come  as  they  want 
Him  to  come,  they  would  be  consumed.  So  He  does  not  change  His 
purpose  of  cleansing  (v.  6).  The  Messenger  of  the  covenant  is 
the  same  as  Jehovah  of  v.  1. 

c)  The  Test  of  God  (3:7-12).  Again  the  sinners  complain  of 
unfairness  in  God’s  dealings.  But  they  rob  Him  and  see  it  not  (vv. 
7-9).  Let  them  do  their  part  in  the  bringing  of  tithes  and  see  how 
He  will  do  His  (vv.  10-12). 

d)  A  Second  Complaint  of  His  unfairness  (3:13 — 4:3).  They 
say  again  that  it  is  useless  to  serve  God,  for  the  wicked  flourish 
and  the  righteous  suffer.  But  the  God-fearing  among  them  (vv. 
16,  17)  recognize  God’s  justice,  and  love  Him  and  cultivate  their 
faith  among  themselves  (v.  16),  and  God  will  show  them  that  there 
is  a  difference  (v.  18),  for  the  day  of  judgment  will  show  it  (4: 
1-3).  Fire  will  devour  the  wicked  (v.  1)  while  on  the  God-fearing 
the  Sun  of  Righteousness  will  rise  with  healing  in  its  rays  (v.  2) 
but  will  judge  the  wicked  (v.  3).  In  the  meantime  (vv.  4-6)  let 
them  abide  by  the  old  Mosaic  Law  (cp.  Isa.  8:20)  and  God  will 
send  the  already  promised  Messenger  (3:1)  who  will  come  as  Eli¬ 
jah,  the  pioneer  pathbreaker  (v.  5),  and  who  will  bring  in  the 
proper  state  of  mind  to  receive  God  when  He  does  come  (vv.  5,  6). 

3.  New  Testament  Fulfillment .  In  Matt.  11:14,  Jesus  says  that 
John  the  Baptist  was  Elijah.  Surely  as  here  promised.  It  is  there¬ 
fore  Elijah  redivivus,  a  man  who  comes  in  the  spirit  and  power  of 
Elijah.  This  should  teach  us  not  always  to  insist  on  the  literal 
fulfillment  of  the  prophetic  words  (Matt.  17:9-13;  Luke  1:17). 
In  Mai.  3:1  the  forerunner  precedes  another  who  is  the  Lord,  Jeho¬ 
vah,  himself  and  so  the  Lord  Jesus  must  be  the  same  as  Jehovah, 
for  he  was  introduced  by  John,  the  messenger  of  Mai.  3:1.  Jesus 
did  not  disclaim  divinity  when  the  Jews  rebuked  Him  for  making 
God  His  own  Father  (John  5:17,  18),  nor  did  He  correct  Thomas 
when  he  said  “My  Lord  and  my  God  (John  20:28).  John  the  Bap¬ 
tist  was  the  last  of  the  prophets  preaching  the  Law  (Mai.  4:6). 
It  was  the  function  of  the  prophets  to  bring  to  realization  that 
Kingdom  of  which  the  Torah  was  the  fundamental  principle,  so 
that  the  slogan  “to  the  law  and  the  testimony”  (Isa.  8:20)  held  its 
own  to  and  through  John  the  Baptist  the  last  of  the  Prophets. 


154 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


§  119.  Concluding  Remarks. 

There  were  many  Old  Testament  life  germs  that  strove  to 
completion.  They  lay  scattered  and  struggled  for  union.  Ek  mer- 
ous  propheteuomen,  “we  prophesy  in  parts”  etc.  (1  Cor.  13:9), 
that  is  in  sections  and  not  as  a  well  constructed  whole,  is  true  of 
the  Old  Testament  prophets  also.  These  “parts”  were  couched  in 
terms  of  temporality,  as  all  language  must  be,  the  material  being 
the  dress  of  the  spiritual  thought.  The  Spirit  strives  to  realize  it¬ 
self  first  in  the  mind  as  ideas  and  then  in  life-realities.  The  Holy 
Spirit  is  the  plastic  force,  dunamis,  which  forms  things,  and  men, 
and  history  and  develops  all  into  the  Kingdom  of  God,  the  Body  of 
Jesus  the  Head,  as  the  life  of  the  oak  and  other  lives  build  their 
respective  organisms.  Jesus  Christ  is  the  form,  the  Logos,  the 
plan,  on  whom  and  for  whom  and  through  whom  all  things  came 
and  come  and  will  come  into  being  (John  1:1,  2;  Col.  1:17). 

The  genetic  growth  of  these  ideas  is  Messianic  Prophecy.  As 
in  art  there  are  old  painters,  whose  pictures,  seen  by  the  age  of 
later,  better,  and  more  perfect  painters,  are  of  little  value,  but 
considered  from  the  standpoint  of  their  past  are  wonders  of  crea¬ 
tion,  being  a  great  step  forward  from  their  past,  so  the  great  relig¬ 
ious  ideas  of  the  New  Testament  which  are  found  in  the  Old  have 
been  wrought  out  in  the  blood  and  discipline  of  Israel,  though  they 
now  seem  so  evident  and  cheap  because  long  in  common  use.  It  is 
thus  with  much  of  art  with  us  today.  Many  of  the  common  fab¬ 
rics  are  ornamented  with  designs  and  art  which  at  one  time  were 
the  invention  of  genius.  Many  things  and  thoughts  common  to  us 
today  were  an  inspiration  of  a  high  order  when  they  first  made 
their  appearance. 

The  world  of  Ideas  in  the  0.  T.  prepared  the  world  for  Jesus. 
He  could  not  have  come  into  the  thought-world  of  any  other  nation. 
He  was  rejected  in  Israel  in  so  far  as  the  thought-world  of  the 
leaders  of  His  day  was  not  the  thought-world  of  the  0.  T.,  nor  of 
the  Christ.  It  was  not  really  Messianic.  There  were  those,  the 
so-called  prosdechomenoi,  the  Lookers-for,  like  Simeon  and  Anna 
(Luke  2:25,  36),  who  were  Old  Testament  minded.  The  rest  were 
a  failure,  and  not  what  the  Old  Testament  would  have  build  up  for 
the  coming  of  the  Christ.  “He  came  into  His  own  and  they  that 
were  His  own  received  Him  not,”  for  they  “flunked,”  they  did  not 
learn  their  lesson. 


A  TOPICAL  SUMMARY 


155 


CHAPTER  TWELVE. 

A  TOPICAL  SUMMARY. 

§  120.  The  Ideal  of  Mankind. 

1.  The  Aim  and  Destiny  of  Man,  Gen.  1:26,  27,  §  16. 

2.  The  Rank  of  man,  Ps.  8,  §  36. 

3.  Man  Triumphant  in  Death.  Ps.  16.  §  37. 

4.  Man  in  League  with  Nature,  Hos.  2:18;  Job  5:23,  §  53.  2,  e). 

5.  Man  at  Peace  with  Nature,  Isa.  11:6-9,  §  61.  4,  b). 

6.  Man's  Second  Eden,  Ezek.  36:35,  §  84. 

7.  Nature  a  Garden  for  Man,  Isa.  51:3,  §  104.  2.  Isa.  55:12,  13, 

§  99:3.  §  109,  2  c.  Isa.  35,  §  69. 

8.  Jehovah’s  Glory  Land,  Ps.  85:8-13. 

9.  Universal  Peace  and  Joy,  Ps.  145:12. 

§  121.  The  Conflict  With  Evil. 

1.  Conflict  and  Victory,  Gen.  3:14,  15,  §  17.  2. 

2.  The  History  of  the  Chosen  Seed. 

3.  Conflict  in  the  Servant  Who  Redeems,  Isa.  53,  §  98. 

4.  Triumph  over  Antichrist,  Dan.  9:23-27,  §  90. 

§  122.  The  Divine  Advent. 

1.  Introduced  in  Gen.  9:26,  27,  §  20.  4. 

2.  The  History  of  the  Tabernacle. 

3.  The  Promise  to  Abide  with  Man,  2  Sam.  7:11-16,  §  34. 

4.  Zion  Safe  and  Calm,  as  His  Abode,  Isa.  33:20-24,  §  67.  4. 

5.  He  and  His  Safe  and  Peaceful  in  Zion,  Ps.  46  and  48,  §  67.  4,  5. 

6.  God,  the  People’s  Home,  Ezek.  11:16,  §  79.  1. 

7.  The  New  Temple,  Ezek.  40-48,  §  88. 

8.  The  Temple  Mount  Exalted,  Isa.  2:2-4;  Micah  4:1,  §  58.  1. 

9.  Jerusalem,  Sacred  as  the  Ark,  Jer.  3:17,  §  74.  2. 

10.  Jerusalem  Called,  “Jehovah-Our-Righteousness.”  Jer.  33:16, 

§  75.  2. 

11.  No  Unclean  Shall  Come  into  it.  Jer.  31:38-40,  §  76.  3,  e). 

12.  Jehovah  Forever  in  Zion,  Ps.  132,  §  78. 


156 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


13.  Renewal  of  His  Abode  on  Earth,  Isa.  49:23,  §  104,  1.  Isa.  54. 

§  105.  Isa.  56:7,  §  107.  Isa.  60.  §  107.  Isa.  65:17,  §  109.  2,  c). 

14.  The  Temple’s  Latter  Glory  is  Christ,  Hag.  2:2;  §  110. 

15.  A  City  Full  of  People  with  God  in  it,  Zech.  2:8-17,  §  111. 

16.  All  Shall  be  Holy,  Zech.  14:20,  §  116.  8. 

§  123.  The  Holy  Land. 

1.  Promised  to  Abraham,  Gen.  12:1-3,  §  21.  1,  b). 

2.  Described  by  Jacob,  Gen.  49:12,  22-26,  §  22:1  and  5. 

3.  Its  Fruits  a  Reward  for  Obedience,  Ex.  23:25-31;  Lev.  26; 

Deut.  28  and  32:20-42,  §  29:  1  and  5. 

4.  The  Land  and  Sin.  Edenic  in  Last  Times,  Ezek.  36:35,  §  84. 

Ezek.  45-48,  §  88. 

5.  The  Returning  Exiles.  Way  Made  Plain.  Isa.  25:6-8,  §  65:  2. 

Isa.  35,  §  69.  2.  Isa.  41:18-22,  §  94.  1.  Isa.  49:19-23,  §  104. 

1.  Isa.  51:3,  §  104.  2.  Isa.  55:12,  13,  §  99,  3.  Isa.  65,  §  109,  2. 

§  124.  Jehovah:  Father,  Husband,  Shepherd. 

1.  Israel  is  His  First-born,  Ex.  4:22,  23,  §  24. 

2.  They  are  Sons  of  God,  Hos.  1:10,  §  53‘:  1. 

3.  He  Will  Deliver  His  Son,  Hos.  11:8,  9,  §  55.  2. 

4.  The  Son  Repents  and  Turns  to  the  Father,  Jer.  31:18-22, 

§  76,  3. 

5.  God  as  Tender  as  a  Father,  Isa.  49:14-22,  §  104,  1. 

6.  The  Relation  of  Husband  etc.,  Hos.  1  and  2,  §  53. 

7.  He  Rejoices  Over  His  Wife,  Zech.  3:17,  §  70,  3  d. 

8.  His  Marriage  to  Zion,  Jer.  3:13-14,  §  74,  §  2. 

9.  Forsaken  but  Reinstated  Wife,  Isa.  54:1-17,  §  105.  Isa.  62, 

§  108. 

10.  Jehovah  as  Shepherd,  Gen.  49:24,  §  22:5. 

11.  The  Underestimated  Shepherd,  Zech.  11:7-14,  §  115. 

12.  He  is  Called  on  For  Help,  Ps.  80,  §  72. 

13.  The  Good  Shepherd’s  Care,  Ezek.  34:1-31,  §  83.  2c. 

14.  Israelites  Will  be  Saved,  Am.  9:9,  §  57. 

15.  The  People  of  His  Pasture,  Ps.  95,  §  117.  3.  Ps.  100,  §  117.  8. 

§  125.  The  Kingdom  of  God.  A)  The  Kingly  Side. 

1.  Israel  Constituted  Such  at  Horeb,  Priest-kings,  Ex.  19:6,  §  25. 

2.  The  Aim  of  the  Kingdom,  Gen.  12:1-3,  to  Bless.  §  21.  a. 

3.  The  Method  of  the  Kingdom,  Num.  23:9,  10,  §  27.  Num.  24: 

17,  19,  §  27.  3. 


A  TOPICAL  SUMMARY 


157 


4.  David,  the  King  of  the  Kingdom,  2  Sam.  7:11-16.  §  34. 

5.  Jehovah  the  King  of  the  Kingdom,  Ps.  24,  §  40. 

6.  Broken  after  Solomon,  Refounded,  Isa.  28:16-18,  §  66.  2. 

7.  The  City  of  the  Jehovah-King,  Jerusalem,  Ps.  46  and  48,  §  67. 

4  and  5. 

8.  His  Kingdom  like  a  Devastated  Vine,  Ps.  80,  §  72. 

9.  Until  the  New  King  Comes,  Ezek.  21:26,  27,  §  81. 

10.  It  Will  be  Replanted,  Ezek.  17:24,  §  80. 

11.  Being  of  Divine  Origin  the  Kingdom  will  grow?  Dan.  2:44,  45. 

§  89.  3. 

12.  Jehovah  King  of  Israel,  Isa.  41,  §  94.  1.  Isa.  42.  §  94:2,  Isa. 

49:21-23,  §  104.  1.  Isa.  52:7-12,  §  104.  3.  Isa.  60,  §107.  Isa. 
62:10-12,  §  108.  Ps.  68.  §  113.  Ps.  95-100,  §  117. 

B)  The  Priestly  Side  of  the  Kingdom. 

13.  Israel  Mediator  Between  God  and  Heathen,  Isa.  19:7,  16-25. 

§  64,  Isa.  23:18. 

14.  Renowned  and  Receiving  Tribute  in  the  Temple,  Zeph.  3:9,  10, 

§  113. 

15.  God  Adopts  the  Nations  through  Israel,  Ps.  81.  §  71. 

16.  In  Isaiah  the  Nations  Come  to  Israel.  44:5,  §  96:1.  Isa.  45: 

21-25,  §  103.  1.  55:1-5,  §  99.  56:7,  §  106.  1.  Isa.  60.  §  107. 
Isa.  61:5,  6,  §  101.  2.  Isa.  66:20,  21.  §  109.  2. 

17.  The  Heathen  Praise  Jehovah  in  Bringing  Tribute  to  Israel,  Ps. 

68:31,32.  §113. 

18.  The  Whole  Earth  Worships  Jehovah,  Ps.  96;  98;  99,  §  117.  4, 

6,  7. 

19.  All  Nations  will  Celebrate  the  Passover,  Zech.  14:16,  17. 

§  116.  8. 

§  126.  The  Day  of  Jehovah.  A)  Judgment. 

1.  Judgment  Rooted  in  Blessings  and  Curses,  Ex.  23:25-31;  Lev. 

26:3-12;  Deut.  28  and  32:20-42,  §  29.  5. 

2.  Jehovah,  Judge  and  Advocate,  1  Sam.  2:10,  §  31. 

3.  The  Judgment  Seat,  Ps.  50. 

4.  The  Vale  of  Judgment,  Joel  2:28 — 3:1,  §  50.  3. 

5.  The  Judgment  is  Terrible,  Zech.  1:14-18,  §  70. 

6.  Gog  and  Magog,  Overthrown,  Ezek.  38  and  39,  Rev.  20,  §  87. 

7.  Judgment  of  the  Nations,  Isa.  13:1-13,  §  63.  Isa.  24-27,  §  65. 

8.  Jehovah’s  Blood-bath,  Isa.  34,  §  69.  1.  Isa.  63:1-6,  §  69.  1,  b). 


158 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


9.  Nations  Struck  Blind,  etc.  Zeeh.  12:1-9,  §  116.  1.  Zech.  14: 
1-21.  §  116.  5-8. 

10.  The  Ancient  of  Days,  Dan.  7:9-12.  §  89.  3. 

11.  The  Vale  of  Gehenna,  Isa.  66:24,  §  100.  2.  c). 

12.  A  Day  of  Fire,  Mai.  3.  §  118. 

B)  The  Day  of  Jehovah:  Blessings. 

13.  The  Spirit  Poured  Out,  Joel  2:28,  §  50.  2.  Ezek.  37,  §  85.  Zech. 

12:10—13:9,  §  112. 

14.  Israelites  Will  be  Saved,  Am.  9:9,  §  5L. 

15.  The  Resurrection  to  New  Life,  Hos.  2,  §  53,  2.  3.  Hos.  13  and 

14,  §§  56.  57.  Dan.  12:1-15,  §  90.  2.  3.  Zech.  14:6-10.  §  116,  6. 

16.  Holiness  of  the  People,  Isa.  4:2-6,  §  58.  Isa.  45:3. 

17.  Repentance,  Jer.  30:12 — 31:40.  §  76. 

18.  Purity,  Ezek.  36:25-26,  §  84. 

19.  A  Banquet  of  Joy,  Isa.  24:14,  15;  25:1-12.  §  65. 

20.  Prosperity,  Isa.  40:1,  §  102.  Isa.  44:1-5,  §  96.  Isa.  54:1-17, 

§  105.  Isa.  62:11,  12,  §  108. 

§  127.  The  Holy  Priesthood. 

1.  Israel,  a  Kingdom  of  Priests,  Ex.  19:6,  §  25. 

2.  An  Everlasting  Priesthood,  Num.  25:12,  13,  §  28. 

3.  The  Faithful  Priesthood,  1  Sam.  2:17,  25,  36,  §  32. 

4.  Numerous  Priests,  Jer.  33:17-22,  §  75,  2  c. 

5.  The  New  Temple  Goes  to  the  Line  of  Zadok.  Ezek.  44  and  45. 

6.  The  Nations  Share  in  the  Priesthood,  Isa.  66:21.  §  109,  2. 

7.  The  Priest  as  Channel  of  the  Spirit.  Zech.  3.8 — 4:14;  6:9-15, 

§  112. 

8.  The  Purified  Levites,  Mai.  2:4-9,  §  118. 

9.  The  Sin-bearer,  Isa.  53,  §  98. 

§  128.  The  Faithful  Prophet. 

1.  The  Prophet  Like  Moses,  Deut.  18:16-19.  §  26. 

2.  The  Suffering  Prophet,  Ps.  22,  §  91.  Ps.  40,  §  92,  2.  Ps.  69, 

§  92.  1.  Ps.  70.  §  92.  2.  Isa.  42:1-15,  §  94,  2. 

3.  His  High  Calling,  Isa.  49,  §  97. 

4.  The  Sin-bearer,  Isa.  53.  §  98. 

5.  The  Great  Preacher,  Isa.  61.  §  101. 

§  129.  The  Messianic  King. 

1.  Rooted  in  the  Covenant  with  David,  2  Sam.  7:12-16,  §  34. 


A  TOPICAL  SUMMARY 


159 


2.  God  Grants  the  King  Victory,  Ps.  110,  §  38. 

3.  The  King  is  Enthroned,  Ps.  2,  §  39. 

>  4.  The  King’s  Righteous  Rule,  Ps.  72.  §  4S, 

5.  The  King’s  Bride,  Ps.  45.  §  47. 

6.  David’s  House  Possesses  the  Nations,  Amos  9:9-12,  §  51. 

7.  The  Second  David,  Hos.  3:5,  §  53.  3. 

8.  The  Lowly  King  in  Triumph,  Zech.  9:9,  10.  §  113. 

9.  The  Prince  of  Peace,  Isa.  7:14,  §  59.  Isa.  9:1-7,  §  60. 

10.  The  King’s  Enduements,  Isa.  11:1-10.  §  61. 

11.  The  King  Born  in  Bethlehem,  Micah  5:1-4,  §  68. 

12.  Right-hand  man  to  God,  Ps.  80,  §  72. 

13.  Righteous  Sprout,  Jer.  23:5-8,  §  75.  Jer.  33:14-22,  §  75. 

14.  The  Exiles  Return  to  their  King,  Jer.  30:9,  §  76. 

15.  God  Faithful  to  the  King,  Ps.  89,  §  77.  Ps.  132,  §  78. 

16.  He  is  an  Anointed  King,  Ezek.  21:26-32.  §  81. 

17.  He  is  Shepherd-King,  Ezek.  34:23,  §  83:3.  Zech.  3:8 — 4:14, 

§  112.  Zech.  6  :-13,  §  112.  3. 

18.  There  is  no  King  in  Isa.  40-66.  Note,  Chapter  Nine. 

19.  The  King  Will  Be  cut  off,  Dan.  9:26,  §  90.  1. 

20.  The  King  Will  be  Lamented,  Zech.  12:10 — 13:1,  7-9.  §  116. 

§  130.  The  New  Covenant. 

1.  The  Old  Covenant  was  Temporary,  Jer.  30,  §  76.  Heb.  8:8-13. 

2.  The  Marriage  Figure  first  in  Hosea,  2:18-23,  §  53. 

3.  The  Covenant  Written  on  the  Heart,  Jer.  31:31-37,  §  76.  3  e. 

4.  Covenant  of  Everlasting  Peace,  Ezek.  34:25-31,  §  83.  Ezek. 

37:26-28,  §  86. 

5.  Embodied  in  the  Servant,  Isa.  42:6,  §  94.  2.  Isa.  54:10-17, 

§  105.  Isa.  55:3.  §  99.  Isa.  59.  §  100.  3.  Isa.  61:8,  9. 

§  101.  2. 

§  131.  False  Prophets. 

1.  The  Fact,  strange,  §  7. 

2.  Test  of  True  Prophet.  §  7. 

§  132.  Free  Grace  in  The  Old  Testament. 

1.  Grace  Undeserved,  Isa.  43:22-25,  26-28,  §  95:3.  Isa.  44:1-5, 

§  96. 

2.  Grace  Delivered  Jerusalem,  Isa.  37:35. 

3.  In  Spite  of  Israel’s  Treachery,  Isa.  48:8-11,  §  103. 

4.  On  Confession,  1  Sam.  12:20-22,  Ps.  106:6-8. 


160 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


5.  In  Spite  of  Sins,  Jer.  14:7,  8. 

6.  Grace  Brings  sinner  to  God,  Ezek.  20;  Dan.  9:17-19;  9:7-9. 

§  133.  Regeneration  by  the  Spirit. 

1.  The  Spirit,  the  Source  of  Life,  Ezek.  37:14;  Isa.  44:3,  4. 

2.  The  Spirit,  the  Sourse  of  New  Life,  Ezek.  36:25,  26:  Jer.  31: 

33,  34. 

3.  Spirit  and  Material  Prosperity,  Isa.  32:15. 

4.  Spirit  and  Public  Righteousness,  Isa.  32:15,  16,  Note,  “Then.” 


INDEX  TO  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


161 


INDEX  TO  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


Figures  Itilicised  denote  page  where  a  text  is  discussed. 


Genesis.  PAGE 


PAGE 

15:16  . 

. 43.  117 

1  and  2.  . . 

. 37 

17:1  . 

. 44 

1:14  . 

. 25 

17:1,  17  .  .  .  . 

. 42 

1:28-30... 

...36.  66.  67.  155 

17:1-14  .... 

1:27 . 

. 38.  39 

17:5,  15  ... 

. 44.  46 

1:28 . 

. 39.  52 

17:6,  16  .... 

. 62,  66 

2:7  . 

. 37 

17:6,  17  .... 

. . 57 

2:23  . 

. 25 

17:10,  11  ... 

. 44 

3:4  . 

. 38 

18:17,  18  .. 

. 44,  100 

3:8  . 

. 53 

18:18,  19  ... 

. 44 

3:14-16. . . 

•  •  • 

...37.  38.  48.  155 

19:6  . 

. 106 

3:16 . 

....39.  39.  42.  65 

20:7 . 

. 6.  55 

3:18,  19  .  . 

. 80 

20:17  . 

. 16 

4:12  . 

. 80 

22:15-18  ... 

. 44 

5:24  .... 

. 17.  67 

22:16  . 

. 44.  44 

5:29  . 

. 38 

22:17,  18  .  . 

. 44.  110 

6:3  . 

. 36 

22:18  . 

. 43 

6:9  . 

. 17.  68 

25:23,  24  .. 

. 45.  45 

8:20-22.  . . 

. 39.  110 

26:4 . 

. 43.  72 

8:22  . 

. 139 

26:4,  5,  24.. 

. 44 

9:1  . 

. 39 

27:27-29  ... 

. 45 

9:9  . 

. 39 

28:3  . 

. 45 

9:12  . 

. 39 

28:13-16  ... 

. 45 

9:24-27... 

. 39.  66.  155 

28:14  . 

. 56 

9:26  . 

. 40 

32:27.  28  .  .  . 

. 4  6 

9:27 . 

. 41.  42.  70 

34 :13ff . 

. 47 

10:6  . 

. 40 

35:9  . 

. 4  6 

10:8-10  ., 

. 40 

35:11  . 

. 57.  62.  64 

10:32  .... 

. 39 

35:22  . 

. 47 

12-50  .... 

. 41-47 

40:8  . 

. 4 

12:1-3,  7.  . 

16. 

47.  A2.  44.  56.  99. 

41:16  . 

. 4 

107. 

130.  156.  156 

45:9  . 

. 57 

12:2  . 

. 43.  42.  57 

48:19-22  ... 

. 47 

12:3 . 

....44.  52.  57.  72 

49  . 

. 6 

12:4  . 

. 42 

49:1  . 

. 10.  46 

13:14-18  . 

. 43,  45 

49:3  . 

. 45 

13:16 . 

44.  56.  57.  83.  110 

49:4  . 

. 45 

14 . 

. 43.  62 

49:5,  6  . 

. 47 

14:21-23  . 

. 43 

49:8-12  .... 

. 45-4  7 

15:1 . 

.  10.  43 

49:9  . 

. 65 

15:4,  5,  7, 

16. 

. U3.  45 

49:10 . 

.32.  34.  56.  57.  116 

15:5  . 

. 44.  57.  83 

49:12,  22-26 

. 156 

15:6  _ 

. 108 

49:22-26  ... 

. 47.  107 

15:9-17,  18-21 

. 44.  45 

49:24c  . 

. 47,  156 

6 


162 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


Exodus.  Numbers. 


PAGE 

PAGE 

1:8  . 

. 62 

2:3  . 

. 46 

3  . 

. 49 

53:  . 

. 41 

3:6  . 

. 51 

10:14  . 

. 46 

4:22,  23  . 

. 50,  156 

10:29-32  . 

. 57 

5:2  . 

. 117 

11  . 

. 6 

6  . 

. 49 

11:1,  7  . 

. 8 

7:1,  2  ... 

. 6 

11:24-29  . 

. 55 

7:11  .... 

. 15 

11:26-29  . 

. 8 

8:7  . 

. 15 

11:29  . 

. 63.  79 

12:30-33 

. 96 

12:1-3  . . 

. 11,  42 

13:21,  22 

. 89 

12:2  . 

. 55 

15:18  ... 

. .....29 

12:6-8 . 6.  8. 

10.  49.  54.  55 

15:20  ... 

. 11,  55 

22:4,  7  . 

. 56 

19-24  ... 

. 50,  83,  112 

22:4,  7  . 

. 56 

19:3-6  .. 

. 51 

22:5  . 

. 56 

19:5c  .  . . 

. 50 

22:6  . 

. 56 

19 :6. .  .3. 

13.  16.  55.  56.  58.  131. 

22:7  . 

. 56 

156.  158 

22:7,  15-18  . 

. 56 

19:10,  14 

. 52 

22:8  . 

. 56 

19:11  ... 

. 52,  53 

22:12,  13,  18 . 

. 56 

20:5  .... 

. . . 83,  112 

22:21-35  . 

. 56 

20:18  . . . 

. 52,  53 

23:3,  4 . 

. 10 

20:19  ... 

. 52,  53 

23:3,  4,  12,  18,  26. 

. 56 

21:32  ... 

. 148 

23:7-10,  20-24 _ 

. 55,  156 

23:20-23 

. 60 

23:23  . 

. 56 

23:25-31 

. 156,  157 

23:27-30  . 

. 57 

24:9-11  . 

. 98 

24:3,  4  . . 

. 57 

24:10  ... 

. 10 

24:3,  4,  16 . . 

. 70 

25:8  . . . . 

. 26.  41.  42.  65.  70 

24:5-8,  17-24  ... 

. 55 

25:27-31 

. 145 

24:11,  12  . 

. 56 

28:40  ... 

. 145 

24:17  . 

...34,  64,  65 

29:45,  46 

. 41,  56 

24:17-19  . 

. 156 

33:7-11  . 

. 49 

24:19  . 

. 72 

33:16  ... 

. 56 

24:24  . 

. 57,  107 

34:15,  16 

. 83 

25:1-8  . 

. 56 

34:29-35 

. 49 

25:1-9  . 

. 58 

25:7,  8  . 

. 58 

Leviticus. 

25:10-13  . 

. 58,  158 

25:11  . 

10:3  .... 

. 52.  58.  111.  145 

25:12,  13  . 

. 58,  110 

16:8  .... 

. 5 

26:55  . 

. . 5 

19:2  ... 

. 17 

27:18  . 

. 6 

20:7  ... 

. 17 

31:8,  9,  15,  16... 

. 56 

20:24  .. 

. 55 

35:12-18  . 

. 73 

25:23  .. 

. 42 

35:34  . 

. 42 

26 . 

. 60.  82.  156 

26:3-12 

. 157 

Deuteronomy. 

26:12  .. 

. . . 41 

5:9  . . 

. 83 

26:40  .. 

. 50 

5:22-28  . 

. 53.  54 

26:44  .. 

. 32 

10:16  . 

. 44 

INDEX  TO  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


163 


PAGE 

PAGE 

12:5  .... 

. 94 

2:16,  17,  29 . 62,  158 

12:11  ... 

. 41 

2:25,  29  . 

. . . 62.  106 

13:1-3  ..  . 

. 15,  16 

2:27-36  .. 

. 62 

13:1-6  .. 

. 8 

3:10-14  . 

. 62 

17:14-17 

. 62 

7:1  . 

. 113 

17:5b  ... 

. 53 

7:16  .... 

. 12 

18  . 

. .....6 

8:5  . 

. 29.  63 

18:1-5  .. 

. 58 

9  . 

. 63 

18:2  .... 

. 5 

9:6  . 

. 6 

18:5  .... 

. 52 

9:19,  20  . 

. 12 

18:9-14  .. 

. 6,  7,  51 

10:3  .... 

. 12 

18:15-19. . 

. 6.  16.  53-55.  158 

10:5  _ 

. 12 

18:18  . . , 

. 5.  9.  23.  31.  34 

10:5-12  . 

. 11 

18:20-21 

. 15 

10:6  .... 

. 62 

18:22  ... 

. 27 

10:6-13  . 

. 8 

19  . 

. 73 

10:19-24 

. 8 

23:1-6  .. 

. 139 

12:20-22 

. 159 

28 . 

. 60.  82.  156.  157 

13:14  ... 

. 63 

28:10  ... 

. 82 

15:20-23. . 

. 16,  29,  63,  129 

30  . 

. 50.  60 

16:1-13  . 

. 62 

30:4,  5  . 

. 32 

16:1,  7-12 

. 63 

30:6  .... 

. 44 

16:13,  14 

. 63,  70 

32  . 

. 58-60 

17  . 

. 46 

32:6  .... 

. 64 

18:10  ... 

. 12 

32:6-10  . 

. 50 

19:18-24  . 

. 11.  12 

32:8,  9... 

. 32.  44.  51.  56.  60 

19:19,  20 

. 12 

32:20-42 

. 156,  157 

19:21-24 

. 12 

33:5  .... 

. 50 

24:6,  7  .  . 

. 62 

33:7  .... 

. 47 

26:9  .... 

. 62 

34:10.... 

. 6.  49.  51.  54 

2  Samuel. 

Joshua. 

5:1  . 

. 54 

20  . 

. 73 

7:1-6  _ 

. 13.  113 

Judges. 

7:14-18.  . . 

.33.  46.  63.  6U.  65,  67 

68.  81. 

113.  134.  155.  157.  159 

3:7-11  .. 

. 61 

7:14  .... 

. 31 

4:4  . 

. 11 

8:11  .... 

. 143 

5  . 

. 61 

12:24  ... 

. 16 

5:10  .... 

. 98 

19:11-15 

. 7 

6:34  .... 

. 63,  68 

20:1-3  .. 

. 7 

7:25  .... 

. 91 

22:44-51 

. 70 

8  and  9  . 

. ....61 

23:1-7  .. 

. 71 

14:6  .... 

. 63 

23:2  .... 

. 9 

Ruth. 

23 :3b-5  .. 

. 64.  67.  72 

24:11  ... 

. 29 

4  . 

. 73 

24  . 

. 77 

1  Samuel. 

1  Kings. 

2:1-10  . 

. 61 

1:39  .... 

. 70 

2:3,  10  . 

. 62.  157 

3:12  .... 

. 70 

2:10  ... 

. 64 

5:9,  10  . . 

. 94 

164  MESSIANIC 

PROPHECY 

PAGE 

2 

I  Chronicles. 

8:46  . 

.....65 

PAGE 

10  . 

. 46 

20:16  .... 

11:29-40  . 

. 29 

21:16,  17  . 

11:30-33  . 

. 77 

11:36  . 

. 81 

Ezra. 

12:  . 

. 7 

4:24  . 

12:22  . 

. 6 

5:1,  2  .... 

13:11  . 

. 12 

17:18  . 

. 6 

Nehemiah. 

18  . 

. 15 

1:2,  3  .... 

18:13  . 

. 12 

2:5  . 

18:19,  20  . 

.12,  14 

Job. 

20:35-43  . 

. 12 

22:21-24  . 

. . 6 

4:18  . 

2  Kings. 

5:23 . 

9:33  . 

1:32,  33  . 

. 63 

13:20-28  . 

. 74 

2  . 

. 12 

16:11  .... 

. 74 

2:1  . 

. 12 

16:19-22  . 

. 73,  74,  49 

2:1-6  . 

... .12 

17:1-3  ... 

. 72 

2:3  . 

... .12 

17:3  . 

2:15  . 

....12 

17:13-16  . 

. 73 

2:23-25  . 

....12 

19:1-22  .. 

. 73 

3:15  . 

...4,  9 

19:6  . 

. 74 

4:1-7  . 

....13 

19.23-27  . 

4:8-11,  39  . 

... .13 

33:23-28  .  , 

. 72.  73.  7U 

4:8-25  . 

....12 

36:18  .... 

. 74 

4:38  . 

... .12 

5:21-24  . 

... .13 

Psalms. 

6:1,  2  . 

....12 

2  . 

. 13.  69,  118,  159 

8:20-21  . 

....78 

2:1-4  _ 

. 57 

9:  . 

. . . .88 

2:6 . 

. 68.  69.  70 

9:1-10  . 

....12 

2:7-12  ... 

. 31 

14:25  . 

....82 

2:7  . 

. 68 

14:28  . 

. . . .82 

2:8,  9  .... 

. 71 

15:10,  13  . 

...148 

8  . 

.37.  66.  67.  107.  155 

15:29  . 

....91 

15  . 

. 101 

17:24,  25  . 

....90 

16:1,  3,  5, 

6..... . 67 

18:13-18  . 

. . .100 

16:9-11  .. 

. 67.  155 

22:14  . 

....11 

16:20  .... 

. 31 

22:22-24  . 

. 9 

18:43-50  . 

. 70 

23:29  . 

. . .149 

20:6  . 

. 10 

20:7 . 

1  Chronicles 

22 . 

. 127.  158 

5:1,  2  . 

.47.  47 

22:6-8  ... 

.  . . 31 

13:5  . 

. . .113 

22:16  .... 

. . . 30 

17:10-17  . 

.  .  .  .  6  A 

22:18  .... 

. 31 

22:8  . 

....64 

24:  . 

. 70.  101.  157 

22:9  . 

46,  70 

24:1,  2  .  .  . 

. 117 

29:2  . 

...143 

34:8 . 

. 1.  51 

29:29  . 6.  11. 

12.  16 

36:9  . 

. 51 

INDEX  TO  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


165 


PAGE 

PAGE 

40  . 

128. 

158 

137:7  .... 

. 104 

45  . 

.75. 

159 

145:12  ... 

. 104.  155 

45:5  . 

,125 

45:14-16  . 

.107 

Proverbs. 

46  and  48. . . .100. 

102. 

155. 

157 

8:22-31  .. 

. 74.  75 

48  . 

,  .67 

16:33  .... 

. 5 

48:2  . 

.  .40. 

155 

49:14,  15  . 

,67 

Sons  of  Solomon. 

50  . 

,157 

72 

51:10  . 

68  . 

,115 

.157 

Isaiah. 

68:31,  32  . 

,157 

1-12  . 

. 88 

69  . 

.128. 

158 

1:11  . 

. 8 

69:21  . 

,  .31 

2 : 2-4 : 6  .. 

. 88.  94 

70  . 

.158 

2:2-4 _ 21.  32.  70.  77.  89.  94. 

72  . 

.  .13 

.  71. 

159 

102. 

155.  158 

72:1-11  . 

..31 

2:5-11  .  .  .  . 

. 89.  89.  85 

72:2,  4  . 

.  .94 

2:5  . 

. 31 

72:7,  8  . 

.146 

2:12-22  ... 

. 82.  92.  95 

73:23-28  . 

.  .67 

3:1-15  ... 

. 89 

76:10  . 

..45 

3:16-4:1  . 

. 89 

80:.  .107.  119.  137. 

156. 

157.  159 

4:2  . 

. 65 

81:7  . 

.145 

4:2-6  .... 

. 93 

85:8-13  . 

,155 

4:4  . 

. 29 

86:9  . 

.107 

4:5  . 

. 98 

87  . 

107. 

157 

6  . 

. 13 

89  . 

.65. 

113. 

159 

6:1  . 

. 9 

89:19-37  . 

,  .  .  6 If.  64 

7:2  . 

. 91 

89:28  . 

,134 

7:13-17  .. 

. 89 

91:15  . 

,129 

7:14 . 30.  34.  41.  90.  92.  110. 

93-100  . 

150. 

157 

116. 

159 

93  . 

.151 

7:17-25  .. 

. 90 

94  . 

.151 

8:1-4  _ 

. 90 

95 . 

.151. 

156 

8:6,  7  ... 

. 90 

96  . 

.151. 

157 

8:8  . 

. 65.  90.  110.  116 

96:10-13  . 

,152 

8:8-10  ... 

. 69.  91.  91.  101 

97  . 

151 

8:11  . 

. 9 

98 . 

.151. 

157 

8:11-15  .. 

. 91 

99  . 

.152. 

157 

8:16-18  .. 

. 11.  12.  70.  91 

100  . 

117. 

152. 

156 

8:17  . 

. 11 

104:29-33  . 

,  .79 

8:18  . 

. 144 

105:1-15  . 

...3 

8:19,  20  .  . 

. 5,  91 

105:14,  15 . 

.16 

8:20 . 

. 153.  153 

106:6-8  . 

.159 

8:21,  22  .  . 

. 91 

110 . 67.  68. 

60. 

134. 

159 

9:1-7  .... 

. 76.  91.  92.  160 

110:1  . 

,  .30 

9:6,  7.  .30. 

90.  92.  94.  110.  116. 

110:4  . 

,111 

125 

110:5  . 

.107 

9:8-10  .  .  . 

. 7.  92 

118:20-24  . 

,146 

9:8-10:34 

. 92 

118:22,  23  . 

.100 

10:5-34  .. 

. 57.  92.  118 

132:  . 

155.  159 

10:20,  21 

. 92.  93 

166  MESSIANIC 

PAGE 

11:1-16  . 92.  93 

11:1  . 32.  121.  134.  141 

11:1-11  . 38.  159 

11:2  . 29.  60 

11:4,  5  . 119 

11:6-9  155 

11:1  . 32 

11:10,  11  . 32.  107 

11:15,  16  . 147 

12  . 95.  107 

13:1-14:23  . 95 

13:1-13  157 

14:12-14  108.  117 

18:7  . 96 

19  . 96 

19:3,  7 . 5.  157 

19:16-25  . 9U.  157 

19:23-25  . 59.  106 

20:3  . 54 

23:18  . 157 

24-27  . 97.  98.  103.  157 

24:14,  15  . 95.  158 

24:21,  25  . 103 

24:23  . 98 

25  and  26  . 17.  98 

25:1-12  . 158 

25:6  . 82 

25:6-9  . 57.  70.  156 

25:8  . 141 

26  . 95.  98 

26:19  .  32.  120 

28  . 14 

28:14-18  99 

28:16 . 139,  146,  157 

28:25,  26  . 121 

28:29  . 92 

28-35  . 99.  103 

29:1-8  100 

29:7,  8  . 10 

29:14  . 92 

29:17  . 130 

30-33  . 100 

30-31  . 13 

30:15  . 29 

30:25  . 130 

31:4,  5,  8 . 100 

32:1,  2 . 32 

33:11  . 54 

32:15,  16 . ...29.  130.  160 

33:20-24  . 155 

33:24  . 137 


PROPHECY 


PAGE 

34  and  35  . 57.  103 

34  . 57.  157 

35  . .57.  45.  135.  155.  156 

35:7  . 130 

35:10  . 137 

37:6,  7,  21-38  . 100 

37:35  . 159 

39  . 100 

40-66...  119.  127.  128.  129.  130. 

137.  159 

40-48  . 16 

40:1-11  137 

40:1  . 158 

40:2  . 76 

40:3  . 30 

40:6-8  137 

40:11  . 156 

40:25  . 36 

40:27  . 14 

41:  . 157 

41:8-30  130 

41:14  . 128 

41:18-26  . 137,  156 

41:18,  19  . 135 

41:22,  23  . 11 

42:1-13  . 130.  157.  158 

42:1-7  . 130.  159 

42:7  . 130 

42:14-17  137 

42:18-22  . 130 

42:19  . 6 

43:1-7,  14-21  . 131 

43:  2,  5,  16,  19-21 . 131 

43:8-10  . 130.  131 

43:19  . 137 

43:20  . 130 

43:22-25  159 

43:25  . 29,  130 

43:26-28  . 131,  159 

43:27  . 6 

44:1-5,  21-23  . 131.  158.  159 

44:2-5  . 57,  157 

44:3,  4  . 160 

44:7,  8  . 11 

44:22  . 29 

44:26  . 130 

45:3  . 158 

45:13  . 130 

45:21-25  . 138.  157 

48:8-11  159 

48:17-21  138 


INDEX  TO  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


167 


PAGE 

PAGE 

48:32  . 

.142 

60:7  . 

. 137 

49:6-8  . 

.  .32 

60:9  . 

. 32 

49-66  . 

..18 

61  . 

.135.  158 

49:1-13  . 

132 , 

158 

61:1,  2  . 

...31.  39 

49:14-23 . 138. 

141. 

156. 

157 

61:5,  6  . 

. 157 

49:9  . 

.130 

61:8,  9  . 

. 159 

49:13  . 

..39 

62  . 

Ul.  156 

49:14  . 

..14 

62:11,  12 . 

. 158 

49:22  . 

.  .32 

63  . 

102.  157 

49:23  . 

..59, 

156 

63:1-6  . 

. 157 

50:6 . 

.  .  .31.  31 

63:3  . 

. 137 

51:1-8  . 

.138 

64:1,  2  . 

. 28 

51:3  . 137. 

138. 

155. 

156 

65  . . 

. 156 

52:7-12  . 

138. 

157 

65:1-66:24  . 

. m 

52:8  . 

...7 

65:17  . 

103.  156 

52:9  . 

..39 

65:19  . 

. 137 

52:13-15  . 

134. 

139 

65:25  . 

52:13-53:12  _ 

.132 

66:10-13  . 

...32.  92 

53.  .29.  30.  33.  34. 

128. 

133. 

132. 

66:20,  21 . 32. 

135. 

157.  158 

155.  155.  158 

66:23,  24  . 

. 142 

53:2,  3  . . 

..30 

66:24  . 

. 158 

53:3-6  . 

128 

53:5  . 

.139 

Jeremiah. 

53:7-9  . 

..30.  31 

1  . 

. 49 

53:9.  10  . 

..31 

3:13,  14  . 

. 156 

53:10  . 

.31. 

133 

3:14-18  . 

.109.  140 

53:10,  11  . 

.139 

3:77  . 

53:11  . 

.139 

4:1-4  . 

54  . . 

.154 

4:4  . 

.44.  109 

54:14  . . 

.144 

5:12,  13  . 

.  .14.  15 

54:1-17.  .139.  156. 

156. 

158. 

159 

5:14  . 

. 54 

54:9-15  . 

.137 

5:31  . 

. 109 

54*10 

v  *  •  XV/  »•«•••••••• 

•  •  •  •  • 

.92. 

134 

6:17  . 

. 7 

55  . 

.139 

7:1-7  . 

. 116 

55:1-13  . 

134. 

157 

7:4  . 

. 14 

55:11  . 

..54 

7:22  . 

. 129 

55:12,  13  . 

.130. 

153. 

156 

7:25  . 

. 16 

55:3  . 

..64, 

■  VI, 

159 

8:8  . 

56:4  . 

.142 

8:19  . 

. 70 

56:5-7  . 

.139 

11:5  . 

56:7 . 

.137. 

156 

14  . 

. 13 

55:11-21  . 

.139 

14:7,  8  . 

. 159 

58:8-14  . 

.135 

14:14,  15  . 

...9.  13 

58:9  . 

.129 

14:23  . 

. 13 

58:13  . 

.142 

18:19  . 

.54 

59  . 

.159 

20:7  . 

59:1,  2  . 

.118 

21:11-22:30  _ 

. 109 

59:1-8  . 

.118 

23  . 

. 13 

59:21  . 

..29 

23:1,  2 . 

59:16-21  . 

.135 

23:1-8 . 

110.  159 

60  . 

156. 

157 

23:3,  4  . 

. 109 

168 

^  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 

PAGE 

PAGE 

23:5,  6  . 

. 32.  33.  89 

48:47  . 

. 118 

23:8  . 

49:1  . 

. 117 

23:9-12  . 

. 14 

49:6  . 

. 118 

23:16  . 

49:17-23  . 

. 78 

23:19  . 

. Ill 

49:39  . 

. 118 

23:21,  32  .... 

. Ill 

50:17-20  . 

.110,  118 

23:23-32  .... 

. 54 

51:17-26  . 

. 118 

23:35  . 

. 10 

25:12  . 

. 110 

Lamentations. 

27:12-15  .... 

. ....14 

4:21,  22  . 

. 104 

28:9  . 

. 27 

28:11-17  .... 

. 27 

Ezekiel. 

28:17  . 

1-3  . 

....9.  49 

29:3,  9 . 

. 117 

1  and  3  . 

. 49 

29:23  . 

. 14 

1-24  . 

. 119 

29:26  . 

. . 14.  Ill 

2:5,  7 . . . 

7.  15.  54 

30  . 

. 159 

3:11,  27  . . 

....7.  54 

30:9  ,10 . 

. 159 

3:14  . 

. 9 

30:12-31:40  . 

. 158 

3:14-27  . 

. 9 

30:19  . 121  3 

30:22  . 112  3 


11 

17 


7 

,7 


30-33  ... 

139 

4 

54 

30  and  31 

110 

5:5  . 

..42 

31:9  .... 

.92 

8-11  . 

.123 

31:18-22 

156 

8:6  . 

.65 

31:31  .... 

.  .18 

,  55 

8:12  . 

..14 

31:34-34.. 

•  • 

11 

:16  . 

..32. 

155 

29. 

79. 

110.  112. 

159. 

160 

11 

16-20  . 

115. 

119 

31:34  ... 

110 

12 

.6  . 

145 

31:34-37. . 

. 109. 

110. 

113 

12 

:22,  27  . . . . . 

..15 

31:38-40  . 

113, 

155 

13 

..13 

31:40  .... 

.32, 

112 

13 

10  . 

..14 

32:39  ... 

112 

16 

14  . 

.42 

32:40  ... 

112 

16 

53  . 

118 

33:16  .... 

.89, 

155 

16. 

60-63  . 

121 

33:14-22  . 

109. 

159 

17 

.116 

33:15,  16 

. 32 

.  65. 

140 

17 

1-21  . 

.116 

33:17-22  . 

_ 109. 

110. 

158 

17 

22-24  . 

.  .  116. 

125. 

157 

33:17,  18, 

26 

110 

20 

160 

36  . 

.11 

20 

40  . 

121 

37:13  ... 

.13 

20 

40-42  . 

.32 

38  . 

.13 

20 

45-21:25  ., 

.116. 

116 

43:2  .... 

.14 

21 

24-27  . 

116 

44:15  ... 

.14 

21 

26-32  . 

159 

44:17  ... 

.14 

21 

27 . 

.119. 

157 

46:26  .... 

117. 

118 

23 

48  ........ 

118 

46:27,  28 

118 

25 

5,  7 . 

117 

46:28  ... 

109 

25 

11,  14,  17  . 

117 

47:1-12  . 

150 

26 

6  . 

117 

48:14-17 

117 

28 

2 . 

..96. 

117 

48:45  ... 

.57 

28 

23-26  . 

...117. 

117. 

123 

INDEX  TO  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


169 


PAGE 

PAGE 

28 

25  . 

. 117. 

118 

7 

13  . 

..28.  30.  31 

29 

3,  9 . 

117 

7 

14,  27  . 

. 31.  102 

29: 

13-16  . 

118 

7 

20-35  . 

. 124 

29: 

21  . 

118 

9 

7-9  . . 

. 160 

30: 

19  . 

117 

9 

17-19  . 

. 160 

32: 

36  . . 

117 

9 

24  . 

. 110 

33: 

7-9  . 

..7 

9 

24-27  . 

_ 125.  155 

33: 

13  . 

.27 

9 

26,  27  . . 

. 31.  159 

33: 

33  . 

.11 

10: 2(1-11:1  . 

. 97 

33- 

-48  . 

119 

11:31  . 

. 124 

34 

1,  10  . 

119 

11:36-45  . 

. 124 

34 

11-31  . 

. 119. 

156 

12:1-3,  10-13  . 

_ 125.  158 

34 

23  . 

. 46, 

159 

12:11  . 

. 124 

34 

25-27  . 

...104.  115. 

159 

34 

28  . 

.32 

Hosea. 

35 

. 104. 

120 

1 

to  3.  .72.  82.  83. 

130.  139.  156 

35 

and  36  .... 

. 81. 

119 

1 

4,  10  . 

. 147 

36 

12-18  . 

. 32. 

120 

1 

6,  7  . 

. 83.  147 

36 

20,  35  .... 

. 119. 

139 

1 

10  . 

. 156 

36 

25  . 

. 110. 

123 

2  and  3  . 

. 83.  158 

36 

25-27  . 

..29 

2 

15  . 

. 141 

36 

26,27  .110. 

112. 115. 158. 160 

2 

18  . 

....148,  155 

36 

35  . 

...104.  155. 

156 

2 

18-23  . 

. 159 

36 

36  . . 

118 

2 

19  . 

. 92 

37 

.85.  98.  120. 

158 

2 

23  . 

. 147 

37 

7-14  . 

. 120. 

160 

3 

5  . 

. 89.  159 

37 

12,  13 . 

..32 

3 

6  . 

. 84 

37 

21-28  . 

.121 

4 

to  14  . 

. 84 

37 

26  . 

....65.  120. 

159 

4 

.5  . 

. 13 

37 

27  . 

. 121. 

122 

5 

:14,  15  . 

. 85 

37 

28  . 

.118 

6 

1-4  . 

. 84 

38 

and  39 - 

6 

:2 . 

. 89.  120 

40 

40 

43 

43 

43 

43 

44 
45- 
47 
47: 
48: 


81.  96.  121.  122.  123.  157 

48  . 121.  122.  155 

and  45  . 158 

1-9  . 123 

5  . 41 

6-9  65 

7  . 121 

and  45  . 158 

48  . 156 

. 123 

1-12  . . . 1 

35  . 140 


Daniel. 

2  and  7  . . . 124 

2:27-28  . 4 


2 

4 

7 


44,  45  . 157 

30  . 117 

9-12  . 158 


6:6  . 129 

9:10  to  11:1  . 84 

11:1  . 30 

11:8-11  . 85.  156 

11:10,  11  . 147 

13:14  . 32.  120 

13  and  14 . 86.  158 

14:3  . 13 

Joel. 

2:1  . 29 

2:23,  28,  29  . 131 

2:28-32  . 79.  157.  158 

3  . 95 

3:1  . 9.  81 

3:9-14  . 122 

3:9-21  . 79 

3:16  . 70 

3:18  . 82 


170 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


PAGE 

3:19  . .142 

4;  21  . 70 

Amos. 

1  to  6  . 18 

1  to  2 . 54 

1:1  . 11 

1:2  . 70 

2:8  . 29 

2:10  . 16 

2:11  . 7 

3:1  . 11 

3:7,  8  . 16 

3:8  . 9.  11 

3:12  . 82 

4:11  . 82 

5:18-20  101 

6:10  . 82 

7:14  . 12,  83 

9*5  83 

9:8  .’.’.'.’.’.*.’.’.*.81.'  102.’  118*. *1.47 

9:9  . 82.  114 

9:9-15... 46.  81.  82.  93.  159.  158 

9:11  . 49.  93 

9:15  . 32 

Obadiah. 

15-26  . 103 

17  . 70 

19:21  . 78 

Jonah. 

4:  Iff  . 27.  82.  134 

Micah. 

2:6,  11  . 13 

3:5,  6 . 13 

3:7  . 10 

3:12  . 102 

4  and  5  . 102 

4:1-5  . 21.  32.  88.  147 

4:11-13  122 

4:13 . 130.  147 

5:1  . 30.  32 

5:1-4  . 159 

5:2  . 30.  33.  81.  134 

6:4  . 55 

6:6-8  129 

7:19  . 29 


Habakkuk. 

107 


Zephaniah. 


1  to  3  ... 

PAGE 

. 105-107 

1:5  . 

1:14-18  .. 

. 157 

3:9.  10  .  . . 

. 157 

2:2  . 

Haggai. 

. 156 

2:6-9  .... 

. 33.  100.  143 

2:21-23  .. 

. 143 

1:1  to  6:3 

Zechariah. 

2:4-13  ... 

. 144 

2:8-17  ... 

. 156 

3:8-4:14  . 

. 145.  159 

3:10  . 

. 32 

3:17  . 

. 156 

4:6-10  ... 

. 100 

6:9-13  .  . . . 

. 30,  43,  159 

6:9-15  ..  . 

. 145.  158 

6:12 . 

. 65.  89 

6:12-15  .. 

. 32 

7:3  . 

. 144 

8:1-23  ... 

. 144 

9:1-8  .... 

. 146 

q  .q 

(/•(/•••»••• 

. .  .29.  30.  46.  92.  134 

9:9,  10  .  . 

. 146.  159 

9:10  . 

. 49 

10:3-12  .. 

. 147 

10:3  . 

. 147 

10:8,  9  .  . . 

. 147 

10:11b  ... 

. 147 

10:12  .... 

. 147 

11:7-14  ... 

11:12  .... 

. 30 

12-14  .... 

. 149.  158 

12:1-9  ... 

. 158 

12:1a  .... 

. 29 

12:10-13:1 

. 158.  159 

12:10  .... 

. 134 

14:1-21  .. 

. 157.  158 

14:1  . 

. 29 

14:6-10  .. 

. 158 

14:7  . 

. 150 

14:16,  17  . 

. 157 

14:20,  21  . 

. 113.  123.  156 

1:11  . 

Malachi. 

152-154 

. 106 

2:4-9  .... 

. 158 

INDEX 

TO  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 

171 

PAGE 

PAGE 

2:17-4:6  . 

. 152 

26:15  .... 

....30.  148 

3  . 

. 158 

26:28  .... 

3:1  . 

. 153 

26:63,  64  . 

. 34 

3:12  . 

. 59 

26:67  .... 

. 31 

3:16,  17  . 

11.  12.  29 

27:9,  10  .  . 

.  .  .  148.  149 

4:2  . 

. 29 

27:11  .... 

. 34 

4:5 . 

.30.  33.  78 

27:34,  38  . 

.  . .  .31.  129 

4:6  . 

.  .  .  74.  153 

27:35  .... 

. 128 

27:38,  39  . 

. 31 

Matthew. 

27:43' _ 

.  .  .  .34.  128 

1:21-23  . 

.18.  41.  90 

28:20  . 

. 31.  52 

1:27  . 

. 65 

2:1-6  . 

. 30 

Mark. 

2:2  . 

. 58 

1:2,  3  .... 

. 30 

2:6  . 

. 102 

1:10  . 

. 94 

2:15  . 

. 30 

1:11  . 

. 134 

3:16,  17  . 

. 63 

1:14,  15  .  . 

..27.  28.  53 

3:17  . 

. 134 

2:27,  28  .  . 

. 28 

4:13-15  . 

. 92 

10:45  . 

. . .133,  134 

5:6  . 

. 108 

12:26,  27  . 

. 74 

5:14-16  . 

. . .40,  140 

12:33  .... 

. 129 

5:17  . 

. 28 

12:35-37  . 

. 68 

5:17,  23,  48  . 

. 28 

14:62  .... 

. 30.  31 

6:33  . 

. SO 

15:19  .... 

. 30 

9:6  . 

. 92 

15:29  .... 

. 128 

9:27  . 

. 64 

11:9  . 

. 18 

Luke. 

11:14  . 

...30,  153 

1:17  . 

. 153 

11:27  . . 

. 30 

1:22,  23  .  . 

. 65 

11:28-30  . 

...... .39 

1:26-38  .. 

. 30 

12:3-13  . 

. 28 

1:27  . 

. 65 

12:39,  40  . 

....82.  87 

1:32  . 

. 31 

13  . 

.  20 

1:46-55  .. 

. 62 

13:3-9  . 

. 28 

2:25-36  .. 

. 154 

13:24-30  . 

. 28 

2:36  . 

. 11 

13:57  . 

. 28 

3:8  . 

. 45 

13:58  . 

. 143 

4:16-21  .. 

. 28 

15:22  . 

. 64 

4:17-22  .. 

. 135 

15:23  . 

. 30 

4:18,  19  .  . 

. 31 

17:9-13  . 

. 153 

11:9  . 

. 134 

19:3-9  . 

. 28 

11:49  .... 

. 75 

19:28  . 

.  .  .  .30.  34 

12:32  .... 

. 117 

20:28,  29  . 

_ 28.  30 

16:25  .... 

. 141 

20:30  . 

....31.  64 

17:20,  21  . 

. 28.  29 

21:5 . 

. .  .92.  147 

19:41  .... 

. 28 

21:9,  15  . 

. 64 

20:4  . 

. 44 

21:25  . 

. 53 

23:5  . 

. 24 

21 : 42-46  . 

. 146 

23:34  . 

....31.  119 

21:42  . 

. 100 

24:26  .... 

. 134 

22:41-45  . 

.30.  67.  68 

24:27  .... 

. 28 

172 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


John. 

PAGE 

PAGE 

18:22  . 

. 30 

1:1,  2 . 

.51. 

75. 

102.  112. 

130 

18:36,  37  . 

_ 28.  92 

1:3  . 

.  .37.  61.  90. 

100 

19  . 

. 30 

1:11  . 

19:4  . 

. 30 

1:14 . 

.3.  41.  75 

;.  83 

19:5  . 

. 133 

1:17  . 

.  .55 

19:6  . 

. 30 

1:18 . 

. ..7 

'.  28 

19:17,  18  . 

. 31 

1:45  . 

. 31 

,  55 

19:28-30  . 

. 129 

1:46  . 

..28 

20:24,  25  . 

_ 24.  31 

2:17  . 

.129 

20:28  . 

. 153 

2:19  . 

..87 

2:19-22 

..65 

Acts. 

3:3,  7  ... 

. 45. 

115 

1:1  . . . 

. 27 

3:5-7  .... 

.121 

1:8  . 

....28.  77 

3:16  . 

.  .36 

1:11  . 

.  .31 

3:18  . 

.125 

1:20  . 

. 129 

3:24  ..... 

.  .94 

1:24  . 

. 5 

3:34  . 

..63 

2:14-21  . 

. 80 

4:20-24... 

.13. 

29. 

68.  99. 

106. 

2:23,  24  . 

..133.  134 

107. 

121. 

142 

2:25  . 

. 67 

4:25,  29  . 

..55 

3:18  . 

. 134 

5:17,  18  .  . 

. 34. 

153 

3:22,  23  . 

_ 28.  55 

5:19,  30  . . 

.151 

3:25,  26  . 

. 46 

5:21-24  .. 

.121 

4:8  . 

. 70 

5:40  . 

.112 

4:11  . 

..100.  146 

5:46,  47  . 

. 55. 

134 

4:25  . 

. 70 

6:14  . 

..28 

4:27  . 

...70.  119 

7:19  . 

.  .55 

7:6,  7  . 

. 46 

7:36-39  .. 

.  .18.  77. 

123 

7:35  . 

. 28 

7:42  . 

..31 

7:37  . 

. 55 

8:28  ..... 

.151 

8:9-24  . 

. 56 

8:29  . 

.134 

13:30-33  . 

....67.  69 

8:44  . 

..38 

14:17  . 

. 5.  39 

8:46  . 

.129 

15:17  . 

. 81 

8:56  . 

..48 

17:28  . 

. 115 

10:37-37  . 

..34 

17:30  . 

. 39 

10:33-39  . 

..31 

21:8,  9  . 

. 1.  11 

12:15  .... 

.  .30,  46, 

147 

22:21-33  . 

. 52 

12:24  .... 

..87 

12:32  .... 

. .  .  .133. 

149 

Romans. 

12:49  .... 

.151 

1:1,  2 . 

. 130 

13:19  .... 

. 36 

.  65 

1:3  . 

....51.  64 

14:3  . 

..34 

1:4  . 

. 70 

14:16,  17 

. 39. 

112 

1:17  . 

. 108 

14:29  .... 

..36 

1:18  . 

. 14 

15:1  . 

...1 

1:18-23  . 

..5.  10.  25 

15:5  . 

.100 

1:20  . 

. 14 

15:25  .... 

....129, 

141 

1:24-28  . 

. 85 

16:33  .... 

.147 

2:4  . 

..120.  149 

17:3 . 

.  . .  .107, 

121 

2:14,  15  . 

. 97 

17:21  .... 

. .  .  .115, 

126 

3:2  . 

. 41 

INDEX  TO  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


173 


PAGE 

PAGE 

3:20  . 

. 17 

2:16  ... 

. 54 

4:19  . 

. 138 

3:7,  13  . 

. . . 49 

5:1,  2  .... 

. Ill 

4:7  .... 

. 54 

5:14  . 

. 24 

4:18  ... 

. 23 

6:4  . 

. 44 

5:18,  20 

. 52 

7:7,  8  .  .  .. 

. 17 

5:19  ... 

. 73 

7:14  . 

. 17 

5:21  ... 

. 30 

8:1-17  ... 

. 139 

11:3  ... 

. 37 

8:18-25  .. 

. 3.  38 

8:28  . 

. 85 

Galatians. 

8:29  . 

. 36 

3:7  .... 

. 130 

8:33,  34  . 

. 74 

3:29  ... 

. ..130 

8:35-37  .. 

. 147 

3:11  ... 

. 108 

9:6-13  ... 

. 53 

3:11-14 

. 52 

9:10,  12  .  . 

. 45 

3:17-19 

. 52 

9:23  . 

. 84 

3:29  ... 

. 130 

9:24  . 

. 84 

4:4,  5  . . 

. 38.  54 

9:26  . 

. 84 

4:21  ... 

. 34 

9:28-32  .. 

. 84 

4:24-26 

. 70 

9:30-10:3 

. 100 

5:1  .... 

. 112 

10:1-5  ... 

. 138 

5:22  ... 

. 136 

10:3  . 

.  139.  139 

6:15  ... 

. 115 

10:11,  13  . 

. 80.  81 

10:17  .... 

. 108 

Ephesians. 

10:19-21  . 

. 68 

1:22-23 

. 31 

10:20  .... 

. 141 

1:22  ... 

. 67.  131 

11:9.  10  .  . 

. 129 

2:5,  8  . . 

. 112 

11:11,  12  . 

. 97 

2:14-18 

. Ill 

11:19  .... 

. 24 

3:3  .... 

. 130 

11:25  .... 

. 84.  86.  87 

4:13  ... 

. 36 

11:29  .... 

. 83 

5:25-32 

. 25.  72.  76 

11:36  . . . . 

. 37.  51.  75 

6:17  ... 

. 130 

14:17  .... 

. 143 

Philippians. 

1 

Corinthians. 

2:5-11  . 

. 133 

1:9 . 

.  .1.  36.  67.  141 

2:8  .... 

. 129 

2:4,  5  .... 

. 54 

2:13  ... 

. 112 

3:16,  17  . 

_ 65.  68.  126 

3:3  .... 

. 44 

6:19 . 

. 68.  126 

3:21  ... 

. 36 

10:4  . 

. 34 

4:13  ... 

. 112 

13:19  .... 

. 154 

14:17  .... 

. 143 

Colossians. 

15:28  .... 

. 3 

1:16,  17 

. 37.  100.  154 

15:45-49  . 

. 13.  37.  66 

1:18  ... 

. 131 

15:46  .... 

. 23 

1:25-27 

. 75 

15:47,  margin  . 

. 23 

2:9. . .3. 

41.  65.  68.  83.  112.  144 

15:54  .... 

. . 38.  86 

2:11  ... 

. 44 

2:13,  14 

. 112 

2 

Corinthians. 

2:15  ... 

. 38 

174 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


2  Thessalonians. 


PAGE 

2:4  . 94.  96.  108.  124 

2:8  . 68.  124 


2:5 

4:8 


2:13 

3:5 

3:13 


1  Timothy. 

. 53 

. 1 

2  Timothy. 

. 83 

. 112 

. 1 


Titus. 

2:14  . 

Hebrews 

1:1,  2  . 

1:5  . 

1:8,  9 . 

2:5-9  . 

2:5-10  . 

2:10  . 

2:11-13  . 

2:14-17  . 

2:17,  18  . 

3:2-6  . 

4:12,  15  . . 

5:45  . . 

5:7-9  . 

6:5  . 

6:7-10  . 

7:  . 

7:4-10  . 

7:11-16  . 

7:14  . 

8  . 

8:1  . 

8:1-8  . 

8:5  . 

8:8-13  . 

8:10,  11  . 

9:9  . 

10:4-9  . 

10:19-21  . 

11:12 . . 

11:19  . 

12:6  . 


52 


..28.  61 

. 70 

. 76 

. 144 

. 66 

_ 133 

. 144 

. 144 

..38.  54 

. 55 

..62.  93 

. 7 

. 133 

. 31 

. 129 

. 69 

. 69 

..52,  57 

. 46 

. 55 

. 69 

. 144 

. 24 

112.  159 

. 79 

. 24 

. 129 

. 68 

..42,  138 

. 24 

. 64 


1:10,  12 

1:19  .. 


1  Peter. 


17.  54 
...34 


1:22  .... 

PAGE 

2:9  . 

2:23  .... 

. 129 

2:24  .... 

. 133 

2:4-8  ... 

. 100 

2:9  . 

2:17  .... 

2:24  .... 

. 52 

4:17  .... 

2  Peter. 


3:9  . 

1  John. 

..118.  142 

1:3  . 

........36 

1:9  . 

. 40 

2:20,  27  . 

. 112 

3:1-3  ... 

. 36 

3:8  . 

. 38 

4:8  . 

. 36 

4:16  .... 

. 115 

Revelations. 


1:4  . 

. 145 

1:16  . 

. 94 

1:20  . 

. 145 

4:5  . 

. 145 

5:5  . 

. 46.  65 

5:6  . 

. 145 

5:11  . . 

. 74 

6:2  . 

. . . 68,  147 

7:1-10  . 

. 46 

12:9  ........ 

. 37.  38 

13:4-10  . 

. . . 124 

13:14,  15  ... 

. 124 

15:3,  4  . 

. . 95 

19  . 

. 103 

19:13-16  .... 

. 68 

20:2  . 

. 38 

20:7-10 . 

_ 96.  122.  157 

21  . 

. 142 

21:1-5  . 

. 83 

21:2,  3  . 

. . 3.  16.  41 

21:27  . 

. 141 

22:1,  2 . 

. 150 

22:5  . . 

. 150 

22:16  . 

. 38 

22:17  . . 

. 134 

INDEX  OF  SUBJECTS 


175 


INDEX  OF  SUBJECTS. 

Figures  refer  to  pages. 


Abomination  of  the  heathen, 
125,  126. 

Abraham,  6,  42,  45;  blesses  the 
world,  42,  43;  elements  in 
promise  of,  6,  42,  45;  faith 
of,  42;  founder  of  family, 
42 ;  head  of  the  nations ; 
land  assured  to,  43;  promis¬ 
es  to,  42 ;  significance  of, 
42;  son  promised  to,  43. 

Age,  The  Golden,  19.  The  Pre¬ 
mosaic,  36-48. 

Age  of  the  prophets,  its  influ¬ 
ence  in  expression,  20;  in 
perspective,  20;  in  prophet¬ 
ic  continuity,  21. 

Amos,  81. 

Ancient  of  Days,  125. 

Anderson,  125. 

Animal  sacrifices,  129,  132;  the 
soul  of,  132,  133. 

Anointed,  the,  61,  69;  David,  62. 

Anointing,  68;  import  of,  63; 
Spirit  given  by,  63. 

Antichrist,  96,  96,  124,  125; 
self  deification  of,  13,  81, 
108,  117,  124. 

Aristides,  23,  81,  128. 

Aristotle,  18. 

Armageddon,  81. 

Assyria,  57,  92. 

Astrology,  5. 

Baal  prophets,  14. 

Baptist,  John,  28. 

Babylon,  fall  of,  95;  return 
from,  85. 

Bayblonian  captivity,  22,  24. 

Balaam,  36,  57 ;  and  the  theo¬ 
cracy,  56 ;  prediction  of, 
56,  57;  Israel  in  prophecy 
of,  56,  71 ;  reiterates  for¬ 
mer  prophecies,  d6. 

Balak,  56. 

Beasts,  the  four,  124. 

Beecher,  Willis  J.,  10. 

Bethlehem,  Ruler  from,  102. 


Blessings,  of  Abraham,  42;  of 
Isaac,  45;  of  Jacob,  45-47; 
of  Joseph,  47;  of  Judah, 
46;  of  Noah,  40;  overruled, 
45 ;  patriarchal,  42-47 ; 
promised,  86;  of  Shem,  39, 
40;  transmitted,  45;  of  the 
world,  43,  44. 

Blessings  and  curses,  60,  83. 

Blood-bath,  104. 

Bozrah,  Victor  from,  103. 

Branch,  65,  145;  Hebrew  ze- 
mach,  1,  89,  109,  110;  the 
righteous,  100,  110. 

Bride,  adultery  of,  82,  83;  of 
Christ,  90 ;  the  faithless, 
82,  83;  Gentile  church  as, 
76;  poem  of,  75;  of  Mes¬ 
siah,  90. 

Briggs,  C.  A.,  125,  141. 

Broadus,  31. 

Browning,  2. 

Candle  stick,  145. 

Cedar  sprig,  115. 

Church,  the  new,  139;  God’s  re¬ 
ply  to  her  pleading,  141 ; 
within  the  church,  91,  125. 

Circumcision,  44. 

Citizens,  Spirit  filled,  101;  of 
Zion,  101. 

City,  of  the  Great  King,  100; 
The  new,  139;  purified  peo¬ 
ple  of,  100;  rejuvinated, 
150. 

Comfort,  Book  of,  110;  from 
past  experience,  138;  from 
imminent  deliverance,  139 ; 
words  of,  110. 

Comforter,  38;  expected  38; 
from  load  of  sin,  38;  is  Je¬ 
hovah,  39. 

Conclusion,  154. 

Conflict,  the  great,  122,  155; 
The  final,  126. 

Conquering,  King,  67,  star,  55, 
56. 


176 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


Contrasts,  past  and  present,  97; 
Edom  and  Zion,  103 ;  of 
saved  and  lost,  140. 

Cornerstone,  fulfillment  of,  100; 
meaning  of,  99;  in  118th 
Psalm,  100;  in  Zion,  99, 
146. 

Covenant,  39,  49,  92;  blessings 
of,  139;  confirmed  by  cir¬ 
cumcision,  44;  by  an  oath, 
44;  defined,  39,  49;  human 
conditions  of,  51;  inviola¬ 
ble,  134 ;  keeping  of,  56 ; 
the  marriage,  83,  83;  as 
divine  motive,  44;  nature 
of,  39;  the  new,  110,  111; 
of  peace,  134 ;  people  of, 
49,  of  Israel  is  sure,  71, 
134;  tasks  of,  49;  with 
Abraham,  42;  with  David, 
64,  134;  with  God’s  flock, 
119,  with  Noah,  39;  with 
Phinehas,  39;  with  the 
Servant,  132. 

Creation,  36,  The  New,  115. 

Cross,  avoiding  the,  30. 

Curse,  of  Canaan,  40,  faithless 
wife,  83;  of  Servitude,  40, 
turned  to  blessing,  83. 

Cyrus,  32,  130. 

Daniel,  83;  Book  of,  123; 
prophecies  of,  115,  123-126. 

David,  the  anointed  of  God,  79; 
anointing  of,  62;  chastened, 
64;  co-regent  with  God,  68; 
covenant  with,  71,  113;  dy¬ 
nasty  of  everlasting,  65 ; 
house  of,  reduced  and  re¬ 
built,  81,  94;  an  ideal,  46, 
63;  inspiration  of,  71;  the 
true  king,  63,  66,  70,  71 ; 
God’s  oath  to,  114;  a  sec¬ 
ond,  119;  seed  of  64;  seed 
of,  adopted,  64;  Son  of,  46, 
63,  64,  64,  113;  sure  mer¬ 
cies  of,  113;  Swan  Song  of, 
71. 

Davidic  Ruler,  110;  character 
of,  94;  covenant  with,  134; 
extent  of  rule  of,  94;  house 
in  contrast,  113;  interna¬ 


tional,  94;  Israel  united  un¬ 
der,  94;  a  king,  119;  name 
of,  110. 

David-Solomon,  kingdom  climax 
under,  65,  77;  Period  of  61- 
76. 

Davidson,  A.  B.,  15,  16,  27,  36, 
51. 

Daysman,  73. 

Day  of  Jehovah,  60,  79,  105, 
150;  humility  and  the,  105. 

Deborah,  song  of,  61. 

Decree  of  God,  69. 

Delitzsch,  Franz,  66,  74. 

Delphi,  4. 

Destiny  of  man,  46;  of  Israel, 
84. 

Dillman,  49.  50. 

Discipline,  84. 

Diviners,  4,  5. 

Dodds,  Marcus,  46. 

Dominion,  37. 

Dreams,  4,  9;  of  Nebuchadnez¬ 
zar,  10,  24. 

Earth,  stability  of,  39,  40. 

Ecstatic  state,  10,  12. 

Edom,  contrast  with  Zion,  103; 
destroyed,  78,  78;  foes,  78, 
89;  judgment  on,  103;  vic¬ 
tor  from  Bozrah,  103. 

Egypt,  96,  97;  missionaries,  96; 
united  with  Assyria,  97; 
converted,  4,  100,  96. 

Eli,  62,  descendants,  62;  doom 
of  his  house,  62. 

Elijah,  4,  11,  12,  15,  21,  31,  33, 
77;  redivivus,  152. 

Elisha,  4,  11,  12,  15,  21. 

Ephraim,  86. 

Evil,  conflict  with,  155. 

Exile,  reason  for,  138. 

Ezekiel,  115;  prophecies  of, 
115-123. 

Faith,  108. 

False,  Messiahs,  32;  Elijahs, 
32;  prophets,  13,  14,  150. 

Fasting,  135,  144. 

Fellowship,  with  God,  36,  67, 
74,  86,  86;  called  to,  67; 
after  death,  67;  priestly, 
110. 


INDEX  OF  SUBJECTS 


177 


Flock,  covenant  with,  119;  pun¬ 
ished,  147;  rejected,  148. 

Formality,  142. 

Fountain,  cleansing,  149,  150. 

Fulfillment,  at  end  of  sections; 
of  prophecy,  27 ;  of  prin¬ 
ciple,  27;  New  Testament, 
28,  30. 

Galilee,  gloom  in,  91. 

Gehenna,  142. 

Genesis,  36. 

Germans,  ancient,  20. 

Goal,  of  man,  36,  37 ;  of  Israel, 
137 ;  of  redemption,  58. 

Gog  and  Magog,  121-122;  Mes¬ 
sianic  significance,  122 ; 
Motive  of  attack  of,  122 ; 
who  is  it?,  122. 

God,  daysman,  73;  his  call  un¬ 
heeded,  85;  Goel,  73;  holi¬ 
ness  of,  41 ;  love  of,  85 ; 
pledge  of,  73;  presence  in 
temple,  64 ;  redeemer,  73 ; 
restoration  through,  85;  a 
Rock,  38;  surety  with  Him¬ 
self,  72,  73. 

Goel,  73. 

Grace,  120,  131,  132;  judgment 
and,  81;  free,  159;  as  mo¬ 
tive,  131;  nature  and,  84; 
saved  by,  135. 

Greece,  2,  57. 

Habakkuk,  Book  of,  108. 

Haggai,  15,  22. 

Hananniah,  27. 

Heart,  new,  112,  115,  120. 

Heathen,  elements,  61;  histor¬ 
ians,  18;  ideals  of  man  and 
kingdom,  20;  prophecy,  4; 
recompense  on,  144;  trans¬ 
formation,  105. 

Hindus,  19. 

History,  Key  to,  3. 

Hitzig,  9. 

Holiness,  120. 

Home,  the  eternal,  142. 

Homer,  3. 

Hosea,  82,  84. 

House  of  David,  fallen,  81,  46, 
93;  rebuilt,  81;  eternal,  63. 

7 


Ideal  man  66 ;  triumphant  in 
death,  67. 

Image  of  God,  36. 

Immanuel,  41,  65,  70,  83,  89,  90, 
104,  107;  Book  of,  88-95; 
historic  force,  90;  name  of, 
91;  riddle  of  name  of,  92; 
virgin  birth  of,  90. 

Indwelling  of  God,  30,  41,  112, 
123,  142. 

Interpretation,  allegorical,  34. 

Invitation,  the  great,  134. 

Isaac,  45;  transmits  blessing, 
45. 

Isaiah,  88,  earlier  prophecies  of, 
88-104;  song  of  deliverance, 
95. 

Israel,  apostate,  59 ;  blessed, 
106,  109;  a  bride,  82;  is  the 
church,  139;  consolation  of, 
98;  converted  through  suf¬ 
fering,  83,  84;  destiny  of, 
59;  disciplined,  84,  89;  ex¬ 
altation  after  humiliation, 
88;  exile  of,  86;  foes  of, 
101;  her  God  great,  113; 
is  holy,  52;  her  hope  in  Da¬ 
vid,  63;  ideal  of,  88;  indig¬ 
nation  on,  59;  mediator,  3; 
mercy  on,  59;  among  the 
nations,  50,  52,  79,  80,  88; 
new  home  of,  123 ;  place  in 
history,  57 ;  possession  of 
the  nations,  8 ;  praises  Je¬ 
hovah,  98;  her  pride  pun¬ 
ished,  92,  89;  privileges  of, 
58;  Jehovah’s  property,  52; 
all  are  priests,  52;  redeemed 
59,  59,  80,  85,  86,  101,  111; 
refuge  of  80 ;  repentant, 
149;  return  of,  109,  111; 
restored,  84,  85,  90;  royal, 
52;  salvation  of,  149;  sin¬ 
ful,  84, 84;  sons  of  Jehovah, 
64;  first-born  son,  50;  spe¬ 
cial  relation  to  God,  57; 
spiritualized  by  fire,  79; 
greater  state  of,  82;  suffer¬ 
ing  and  consoled,  98;  thank¬ 
less,  59;  troubled,  59;  unit¬ 
ed  with  Egypt  and  Assyria, 
96 ;  united  with  God,  83 ; 


178 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


victorious,  149;  a  witness, 
131;  wrath  on,  59;  wrath 
checked,  59. 

Jacob,  45,  56;  blessings  of,  45; 
change  of  name,  46;  elect¬ 
ed,  45;  theophany  at  Beth¬ 
el,  45. 

Japheth,  41;  in  tents  of  Shem, 
4;  expansion,  41. 

Jehoshaphat,  80. 

Jehovah,  advent  of,  108,  141, 
155;  advent  as  Comforter, 
38;  as  deliverer,  70;  and 
his  anionted,  61;  alone  Sa¬ 
viour,  136;  day  of,  59,  79, 
96,  156;  faithful  Father, 
85,  155;  fidelity  to  Israel, 
152 ;  incomparable,  151 ; 
justification  of,  98;  judge, 
62,  151;  his  Messiah,  62; 
above  the  nations,  151;  peo¬ 
ple  of,  79;  sanctuary  of, 
118;  Spirit  of,  93;  supre¬ 
macy  of,  61;  throne  of,  in 
Zion,  109,  119;  redeemer 

of  Israel,  70,  151;  ways  of, 
praised,  88,  152;  worship 
of,  exalted,  88,  132;  wor¬ 
ship  universal,  88. 

Jehovahism,  struggle  of,  61;  a 
force  for  good,  61. 

Jeremiah,  14,  105;  Book  of,  109; 
and  contemporaries,  105- 
114. 

Jerusalem,  blessings  on,  144; 
center  of  the  world,  144; 
and  the  world,  105;  glory 
of  the  New,  144;  encour¬ 
aged,  144;  after  siege,  119; 
before  the  siege,  115; 
names  given  to,  140;  un¬ 
walled,  144;  destroyed,  115. 

Jesse,  rod  of,  92,  93. 

Jesus,  103;  at  end  of  §§.  Son 
of  David,  64;  his  coming, 
20,  29,  31;  house  of  David 
eternal  on,  65;  of  tribe  of 
Judah,  65;  Lord  of  all,  67; 
center  of  history,  27,  29 ; 
and  Old  Testament,  30. 


Jews  and  Messiah,  31;  in  time 
of  Christ,  31;  modern,  32. 
33. 

Job,  Book  of,  72. 

Joel,  book  of,  79;  main  thought 
of  book  of,  81. 

Jonah,  Book  of,  82;  Christ-type, 
82;  Messianic  element  in 
book  of,  82. 

Joseph,  47;  blessing  of,  47; 
preeminence,  47 ;  his  source 
of  strength,  47. 

Judah,  God’s  flock,  148;  mis¬ 
sionary,  147 ;  united  with 
Israel,  121,  147;  trans¬ 

formed,  106;  restored,  112; 
God’s  war  horse,  147. 

Judge,  the  all  knowing,  62. 

Judges,  Period  of,  61;  Jehova- 
ism  in,  61;  kingdom  of  God 
in,  61. 

Judgment,  59,  80;  divine,  17, 
79;  great,  97,  105;  of  na¬ 
tions,  97 ;  and  the  Spirit, 
79;  on  Edom,  78;  of  World, 
105, 138 ;  on  Jerusalem,  105. 

Justification,  110;  idea  of,  62, 

68. 

King,  anointed,  62,  63;  conque¬ 
ror,  67;  elective,  63;  en¬ 
throned,  69;  eternal,  64; 
the  future,  121;  an  Israel¬ 
ite,  62;  in  Israel,  81;  Jeho¬ 
vah  is,  92;  limited,  62;  the 
Messianic,  69,  70,  71; 

Priest-King,  68;  rules  with 
God,  68;  the  righteous,  71; 
the  rightful,  116,  71. 

Kingdom,  of  God,  15,  126;  in 
abeyance,  159;  coming  of, 
1;  completed,  141;  condition 
of  entering,  134;  consum¬ 
mation  of,  141;  David’s 
rule  in,  62 ;  the  divided, 
77;  ethical,  16;  extent  of, 
71;  the  four,  124;  founded 
by  Moses,  16;  Gentiles  en¬ 
ter,  147 ;  is  of  grace,  45 ; 
inheritance  in,  17 ;  and  the 
heathen,  18;  the  ideal,  139; 
of  Israel,  49;  prediction  of, 


INDEX  OF  SUBJECTS 


171) 


17;  of  priests,  51,  52;  law 
and  liberty  in,  17;  subject 
of  prophecy,  15,  16 ;  Zion 
the  seat  of,  68 ;  of  the  Son 
of  man,  124, 

Koehler,  146. 

Koenig,  30. 

Kopher,  74  . 

Land,  123;  allotted,  46;  assured, 
43 ;  given  by  grace,  140 ; 
God’s  home,  42;  God’s  sanc¬ 
tuary,  121;  of  Palestine, 
40,  155;  promised,  42. 

Law,  liberty  and  life,  17;  and 
grace,  3;  grace  to  keep,  55. 

Levites,  apostate,  152. 

Liberty  and  responsibility,  112. 

Life,  eternal,  99;  by  grace,  99; 
contradictions  of,  73. 

Logos,  75. 

Love  of  God,  85. 

Lutron,  74. 

Malak,  of  Jehovah,  74. 

Man,  contrasts  in,  3,  66;  crea¬ 
tion,  36;  destiny,  36;  do¬ 
minion,  37;  fellowship  with 
God,  36,  37,  40,  66,  83;  goal 
of,  37,  38,  39;  fall  of,  37; 
ideal  of,  66,  155;  image  of 
God  in,  36;  punished,  37; 
relation  to  God  ethical  and 
love,  16 ;  of  sin,  109 ;  Son 
of,  125;  triumphant  in 
death,  67;  victories  of,  38. 

Mania,  prophetic,  4,  6. 

Marriage,  figurative  use  of,  72, 
75,  76,  82. 

Melchizedek,  69. 

Mental  state  of  prophet,  4,  8. 

Mercies  of  David,  113;  of  God, 
139. 

Messiah,  61,  62;  anointed,  61; 
cut  off,  125;  and  decree  of 
God,  69;  enthroned,  61,  69; 
Jehovah’s,  62;  Son  of  God, 
69;  against  rebels,  69;  in 
Zepheniah,  106. 

Messianic  King,  158;  and 
Priest,  68. 


Messianic  Prophecy,  1,  154;  his¬ 
tory  of,  34,  35;  method  of, 
2;  source  of,  1;  study  of,  1. 

Mettemich,  27. 

Monotheism,  in  Israel,  41;  in 
Daniel,  125. 

Moab,  57. 

Morphosis,  112. 

Mosaic  age,  49-60 ;  premosaic 
age,  36-46. 

Moses,  49;  founder  of  kingdom, 
49 ;  a  prophet,  49 ;  the 
prophet  like,  53;  Song  of, 
58. 

Mount  of  Olives,  150. 

Nabhi,  6. 

Napoleon,  27. 

Nations,  78;  adopted,  71,  107; 
Book  of,  95-99;  converted, 
43,  88,  106;  cursed,  108; 
and  God’s  kingdom,  116- 
118;  homage  of,  150;  Isra¬ 
el  and  the,  50,  79,  80,  81; 
subject  to  Jehovah,  107 ; 
given  to  Messiah,  69 ; 
prophecies  against,  116- 
118;  punished,  80;  union 
of,  96. 

Nature,  120,  137,  and  grace,  84, 
86;  and  spirit,  37,  78; 

transformed,  134,  137,  144. 

Necromancy,  4. 

New  Covenant,  110. 

New  Jerusalem,  49,  142,  150; 
contrasted,  142 ;  glory  of, 
142 ;  a  nation  in  a  day,  142 ; 
punished,  141. 

New  Name,  141. 

New  Temple,  143. 

Nirwana,  3. 

Noah,  39. 

Ob,  4. 

Obadiah,  12. 

Obedience,  52. 

Olive  trees,  the  two,  145,  146. 

Old  Testament,  Jesus  and,  29; 
and  prophecy,  29;  soul  of, 
29;  spiritual  stress  of,  29, 
34;  test  of,  1. 


180 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


Orelli,  2,  3,  5,  15,  18,  19,  35,  46, 
58,  71,  72,  77,  126,  137. 

Ovivd,  3. 

Palm  Sunday,  146. 

Peace,  58 ;  King  of,  146 ;  Prince 
of,  58,  90. 

Phinehas,  58. 

Plato,  4,  18,  19,  23,  27,  his  man, 
18. 

Plutarch,  4,  18. 

Prayer,  house  of,  159;  forgive¬ 
ness  and,  139. 

Preacher,  the  Great,  135. 

Presence,  divine,  40,  64,  65. 

Prediction,  87;  concentric,  17, 
21,  42,  46. 

Priesthood,  10,  58,  78;  Aaronic, 
52;  everlasting,  58;  faith¬ 
ful,  62;  function  of,  58; 
the  New,  145;  perfected, 
145;  Eli’s  successor  in,  62. 

Priest-King,  145,  146;  kingdom 
of,  51 ;  crowning  of,  145, 
146,  158. 

Prince  of  Peace,  44,  111;  mar¬ 
tyr,  149;  name  of,  91;  peo¬ 
ple  of,  103 ;  prediction  of, 
91;  day  of  redemption  of, 
91;  new  times  through,  90. 

Promises,  to  Abraham,  44;  con¬ 
firmed,  44,  46 ;  divine  mo¬ 
tive,  44;  enlarged,  43;  fac¬ 
tor  in  history,  16;  fulfilled, 
46;  to  Isaac,  46,  56;  to  Ju¬ 
dah,  30,  45;  ratified,  43; 
transmitted,  45. 

Prophecy,  a  factor  in  history, 
15,  16;  fulfillment  of,  27; 
from  God,  7 ;  among  heath¬ 
en,  3,  4;  God’s  Kingdom 
subject  of,  15;  and  lunacy, 
4;  occasion  of,  6;  predic¬ 
tive,  11;  spirit  of,  9. 

Prophet,  actively  receptive,  9 ; 
characteristic  of,  53;  a  new 
creature,  8 ;  inspired,  8 ;  an 
Israelite,  5,  8;  a  genuine 
Israelite,  8,  10 ;  the  One 
like  Moses,  40,  43,  54;  his 
influence  on  his  age,  20;  a 


class  like  king  and  priest, 
19;  spokesman  for  God,  6, 
8,  9,  54,  77 ;  state  of  mind 
of,  9. 

Prophetic  Office,  7 ;  designation 
of,  6 ;  divinely  instituted, 
7 ;  institution  of,  6 ;  began 
in  Moses,  8 ;  Messianic,  66. 

Prophets,  classification  of,  55; 
earlier,  77-87;  faithless;  fe¬ 
male,  11;  all  Israel  to  be, 
8;  literary,  11;  oral,  11; 
schools  of,  11;  sons  of,  1; 
statesmen,  8. 

Prophets,  false,  kinds  of,  13 ; 
times  of,  14;  honest,  15. 

Prosdechomenoi,  31,  154. 

Prosperity,  after  restoration, 
86;  and  the  Spirit,  101,  102, 
104,  120. 

Protevangel,  37. 

Psalm-type,  65;  groups,  66. 

Purification,  the  great,  119,  120. 

Qarab,  111. 

Qahal,  128. 

Rabbinical  views,  33,  34; 

changed  front,  33. 

Ransom,  74. 

Redeemed,  the,  blessed  state  of, 
80. 

Redeemer,  the,  in  Job,  73. 

Redemption,  great  preacher  of, 
135;  progress  and  goal  of, 
37,  58,  80. 

Regeneration,  160. 

Remnant,  holy,  82,  89,  93,  106, 
115,  149;  of  nations,  150; 
the  purged,  115. 

Repentance,  83,  85,  86,  140;  and 
renewal,  101. 

Restoration,  conditions  of,  109; 
highway  to,  137 ;  of  the 
Jewish  state,  142-154;  of 
Israel,  84,  85,  86,  112,  144; 
of  prosperity,  101,  102, 

104;  through  trouble,  147. 

Resurrection,  of  the  dead,  98 ; 
end  of  trouble  and  the,  125; 
the  great,  120;  national,  85, 
85,  98;  of  the  Servant,  133. 


INDEX  OF  SUBJECTS 


181 


Riddle  of  the  Universe,  75. 

Righteousness,  reward  of,  135; 
character  of,  135. 

Rod  of  God,  Assyria,  92. 

Rome,  57. 

Root  of  Jessie,  93. 

Ruler,  from  Bethlehem,  102; 
Davidic,  110;  his  name, 
110. 

Salvation,  from  God,  111. 

Sanctification,  110,  112,  120. 

Sanctuary  of  Jehovah,  121,  123. 

School  of  Prophets,  11. 

Schultz,  5,  46. 

Scofield,  24,  25  . 

Semitic  mind,  9. 

Senaca,  19. 

Sennacherib,  27. 

Sensitized  souls,  42. 

Serpent,  38. 

Servant,  130-135;  high  calling 
of,  132;  delivered,  131;  de¬ 
velopment  of  his  message, 
135 ;  humiliation  of,  133 ; 
idea  of,  129;  the  ideal,  129, 
130;  an  individual,  130;  in¬ 
terpretations  of  the,  131; 
in  Isaiah,  129-139;  Jehovah 
well  pleased  with,  130;  his 
mission,  135;  preacher  of 
redemption,  135;  his  signif¬ 
icance,  133;  the  sin  bearer, 
132;  his  song  of  praise, 
136;  the  suffering  of,  133; 
vicarious  humiliation,  133 ; 
views  on,  132. 

Seventy  weeks,  125. 

Shem,  God’s  indwelling  in  tents 
of,  40,  64 ;  meaning  of 
name,  42;  Japheth  in  tents 
of,  41. 

Sheol,  deliverance  from,  86. 

Shepherd,  92;  David  the,  119; 
the  deposed,  148;  the  faith¬ 
ful,  119;  the  flock  of,  149; 
God  is  the,  119,  148;  the 
Good,  119,  137 ;  Jehovah  is 
the,  119;  lieutenant  of  God, 
119;  the  rejected,  147;  the 
smitten,  148,  149. 


Shiloh,  47,  57. 

Sibyl,  5,  18,  19. 

Silver,  thirty  pieces,  148. 

Sin,  entrance  of,  37;  burden  of, 
38. 

Socrates,  4,  23. 

Solomon,  ideal  of,  71,  72. 

Song,  of  David,  71;  of  Deborah, 
61;  of  Hannah,  61;  of  the 
Sufferer,  127 ;  of  triumph, 
95,  98. 

Song  of  Solomon,  72;  interpre¬ 
tation,  75;  Bridal  song,  75. 

Spirit,  131;  and  the  Church,  81; 
as  Comforter,  39 ;  of  God, 
93;  grace  of,  131;  of  Jeho¬ 
vah,  63;  on  judges,  79;  on 
kings,  63 ;  outpouring  of, 
79,  101,  120,  123;  promised, 
130. 

Star,  conquering,  55,  57;  the 
morning,  58 ;  victory  over 
nations,  57. 

Stoics,  19. 

Stone,  small,  125. 

Strack,  Herrman,  60. 

Sufferer,  the,  his  agony  and  cry, 
127;  the  great,  128-129;  his 
joy  in  God’s  Kingdom,  127; 
the  meaning  of,  128,  129; 
his  relation  to  the  Messiah, 
134 ;  forsaken  yet  exalted, 
127;  in  the  Psalms  127-129; 
suffers  for  righteousness, 
128 ;  his  song  of  praise, 
127 ;  thanksgiving,  127,  128. 

Suffering,  vicarious,  123,  133 ; 
and  conversion,  83,  96. 

Summary,  48,  60,  76,  87,  104, 
114,  126,  136,  142,  154. 

Sun  of  righteousness,  153. 

Supermundane  beings,  97,  103. 

Surety  of  God  in  Job,  72. 

Swan  Song  of  David,  71. 

Symbolic  language,  23. 

Syncretism,  14,  61. 

Tabernacle  etc.,  26. 

Temple,  26;  the  ideal,  64,  65; 
New,  142. 

Theocracy,  49. 

Theophany,  45,  70. 


182 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY 


Torah,  the,  16,  153,  153;  king¬ 
dom  based  on,  16;  univer¬ 
salized,  77. 

Tribes,  rejected,  47. 

Tribulation,  124. 

Types,  typology,  22;  based  on 
analogy,  23;  defined,  24; 
institutions,  26;  limitations 
of,  25;  parables,  25;  in  the 
Psalms,  65,  66;  Zerubbabel 
as  a,  143. 

Union,  of  Egypt  with  Assyria, 
96;  of  Israel  and  Judah, 
121,  147. 

Victory,  of  the  race,  38;  over 
sin,  38;  in  Jesus,  38. 

Vine,  107. 

Vineyard,  99. 

Virgil,  19. 

Virgin  birth,  90. 

Volunteers  priestly,  68. 

Waters,  living,  150. 

Weeks,  the  seventy,  125. 

Wife,  faithless  Israel,  82;  re¬ 
united,  82. 

Wisdom,  74;  Jesus  and,  75;  root 
of  Logos  idea,  75. 

Woes,  108. 

Word  of  God,  punitive,  38; 
prophet  spoke,  54. 

World,  107;  end  of,  97-99,  97; 
Jerusalem  and  the  end  of, 
106;  judgment  of,  97,  105; 


powers  of,  99;  remnant  in, 
97 ;  riddle  of,  3 ;  triumph 
over,  98. 

Wrath  of  God,  59. 

Yiddish  tract,  30-34. 

Zion,  beauty  of,  102;  blessed, 
81,  104;  Book  of,  99-104; 
center  of  the  world,  141; 
the  city  of  God,  100;  citi¬ 
zens  of,  101,  137;  contrast 
with  Edom,  103,  140;  cor¬ 
nerstone  laid  in,  99;  des¬ 
tined  for  glory,  102;  es¬ 
caped  ones  of,  102 ;  feast 
on  mount,  98;  glory  of,  86, 
113,  140,  141;  God  there, 
70,  101 ;  herald  for,  137 ; 
highway  to,  137 ;  humilia¬ 
tion  of,  102,  105;  Jehovah 
faithful  to,  138;  judgment 
on,  109;  light  of  the  world, 
140;  meaning  of,  70;  a  New 
City,  139;  new  citizens  of, 
102;  God’s  pou  sto,  70; 
praise  of,  98 ;  Prince  of 
Peace  in,  102;  protection 
for,  89;  purification  of,  86, 
86,  89,  104;  restoration  of, 
137-142;  seat  of  God’s  king¬ 
dom,  68,  69,  81;  seat  of 
God’s  throne,  98,  102;  seat 
of  Jehovah,  70;  symbol  of 
the  Church,  70. 

Zerubbabel,  9. 

Zemach,  1,  109. 


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